Capsella bursa-pastoris (L.) Medik.

 
  • Family : BRASSICACEAE
    (Mustard Family)
  • Family (Hindi name) : SARSON FAMILY (सरसों फैमिली)
  • Family (as per The APG System III) : Brassicaceae
  • Basionym : Thlaspi bursa-pastoris L.
  • Synonym(s) : Bursa anglica (E.G.Almq.) Druce; Lepidium bursa-pastoris Willd.; Nasturtium bursa-pastoris (L.) Roth; Opizia bursoides Raf.; Rodschiedia bursa-pastoris (Medik.) G.Gaertn., B.Mey. & Scherb.
  • Species Name (as per The IPNI) : Capsella bursa-pastoris (L.) Medik.
  • Common name : Shepherd's Purse, Cocowort, Blind weed
  • Vernacular name :
    • Thlaspi, Bursa pastoris (Marathi)
    • Chamtruk (Tangkhul)
    • Chamure Jhaar, Chaalne, Toree Ghaans (Nepali)
    • Chantruk (Manipuri)
  • Habit : Herb
  • Habitat : Roadsides, gardens, fields, waste areas, mountain slopes
  • Comments / notes : This species is used as a vegetable and in the treatment of eye diseases and dysentery. It is the second most common weed on Earth.
  • Key identification features : Herbs (2-)10-50(-70) cm tall, sparsely to densely pubescent with sessile, 3-5-rayed stellate trichomes often mixed near base of plant with much longer simple trichomes. Stems erect, simple or branched. Basal leaves rosulate; petiole 0.5-4(-6) cm; leaf blade oblong or oblanceolate, (0.5-)1.5-10(-15) × 0.2-2.5(-5) cm, base cuneate or attenuate, margin pinnatisect, pinnatifid, runcinate, lyrate, dentate, repand, or entire, apex acute or acuminate. Cauline leaves sessile, sagittate, amplexicaul, or rarely auriculate, narrowly oblong, lanceolate, or linear, 1-5.5 (-8) cm × 1-15(-20) mm, margin entire or dentate. Fruiting pedicels (0.3-)0.5-1.5(-2) cm, divaricate, usually straight, slender, glabrous. Sepals green or reddish, oblong, 1.5-2 × 0.7-1 mm, margin membranous. Petals white, rarely pinkish or yellowish, obovate, (1.5-)2-4(-5) × 1-1.5 mm. Filaments white, 1-2 mm; anthers ovate, to 0.5 mm. Fruit (3-)4-9(-10) × (2-)3-7(-9) mm, flat, base cuneate, apex emarginate or truncate; valves with subparallel lateral veins, glabrous; style 0.2-0.7 mm. Seeds brown, oblong, 0.9-1.1 × 0.4-0.6 mm.
  • Flower, Fruit : March-October
  • Distribution :
    • Kerala : Idukki district
    • Maharashtra : Satara district
    • Tamil Nadu : Madurai district, The Nilgiri district
    • Uttarakhand : Dehradun district
  • Exotic/Native : Native
  • World Distribution : Naturalized elsewhere as a cosmopolitan weed
  • Conservation Status : Not Evaluated (NE)
  • Literature :
    • Sasidharan, N. 2011. Flowering plants of Kerala. DVD, V 2, KFRI
    • Henry, Kumari & Chithra (1983). Flora of Tamil Nadu, India vol. 1
    • N.P. Sing & S. Karthikeyan 2000. Flora of Maharashtra vol 1. Botanical survey of India, Govt. India
    • Nair, N. G (1977).Flora of Bashahr Himalayas. International Bioscience Publishers: 26
  • Read more :
  • Citation : Sankara Rao, K., Deepak Kumar (2024). India Flora Online. http://indiafloraonline-ces.iisc.ac.in/plants.php?name=Capsella bursa-pastoris. Downloaded on 1 July 2024.

Field Image(s)

India Distribution

World Distribution
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