52 



Fig. 17. 



Shepherd's Purse. 

 Capselia bursa-pastoris, (L). 



A winter annual, naturalised from Europe, with a loner, deep, tap 

 root. The root leaves are lobed and form a lars^e rosette which lies 

 close to the ground, and in this state it passes the winter. The follow- 

 ing spring a more or less branched stem arises, with arrow-shaped 

 leaves thereon. The flowers are very small and white in color, and 

 are much less conspicuous than the seed vessels, which are triangular 

 in shape, and are attached to the stalk or pedicel at the lower apex of 

 the triangle. From the character of these pods, the plant obtains its 

 scientific and common name. The triangular pod is divided down the 

 centre by a partition, forming two cells, each of which contains from 

 10 to 12 seeds, (Fig. 17, a). In size the plant varies greatly from a 

 few inches to two feet, depending on the soil and locality. But even a 

 very diminutive plant produces many seeds. The seed is very small, 

 light brown in color, and oblong in shape, (Fig. 17). An average plant 

 produces over 50,000 seeds. Fig. 17 shows shape of seed, also the 

 arrangement o f seeds in t he pod.5 



Time of flowering, early spring till the beginning of wi nter. 



Time of seeding, early spring till thejbeginning'of winter. '1 



Dispersal — as an impurity in grass seed ; also by birds, as the 

 pods when ripe open and drop the seeds, which mo eaten by birds, 

 and often evacuated without digestion or injury. 



JEradication. It easily succumbs to cultivation ; and as the plant 

 spreads only by seed, persistent effort should be made to prevent 

 seeding. The method employed against the preceding weed may be 

 used for eradicating the Shepherd's Purse. (Fig. 16). 



