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Shepherds-purse, Capsella bursa-pastoris Family: Brassicaceae
Shepherd's-purse
Capsella bursa-pastoris


Flowering time: January-December. Annual or biennial

Can be abundant on roadsides, pavement edges, waste ground and gardens

Variable, a slender, branched plant that is either hairy or hairless. Erect racemes of small white flowers are followed by distinctive flat, triangular to heart-shaped fruit. Leaves are pinnately lobed or undivided in basal rosettes, upper leaves stem-clasping.

Similar: Thale Cress, Arabidopsis thaliana


Shepherds-purse, Capsella bursa-pastoris
Shepherds-purse, Capsella bursa-pastoris
Holton Lee, Dorset. October 2012

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