THE INIilAJJA WEED BOOK. 



occur mostly in grain fields, gardens, lawns and meadows. Many 

 of the seeds have an oily covering which prevents decay and enables 

 them to retain vitality for years. Cultivated members are cabbage, 

 turnip, cauliflower and radish. 



42. Lepidium virqinicum L. Wild Pepper-grass. Tongue-grass. Canary- 



grass. (A. N. 2.) 

 Erect, smooth, much branched, 6-15 inches high; leaves tapering to 

 base, the upper linear or lanceolate, entire ; lower spoon-shaped, more or 

 less notched on sides. Flowers small, White; stamens only 2. Pods 

 small, rounded or oval, notched at tip ; seeds light brown, flattened, 1/10 

 inch wide, half as long, egg-shaped with a very distinct border. (Fig. 48.) 



Common everywhere in dooryards, waste grounds, fields and 

 gardens. April-Oct. Very troublesome at times in clover, espe- 

 cially in light sandy soil after the 

 first crop is cut ; the seeds separable 

 from those of the clover only by care- 

 ful screening. Many of the seeds 

 germinate in autumn forming flat ro- 

 settes with a single central tap-root, 

 from which the flowers and seeds of 

 early spring are produced. Spar- 

 rows of all kinds are very fond of 

 the pods and eat vast numbers of 

 them. Remedies: thorough and con- 

 tinuous cultivation; disc harrowing 

 in late fall or early spring ; hand pull- 

 ing from lawns; spraying. 



The apetalous pepper-grass (L. 

 apetalum Willd.), basal leaves more 

 cut-lobed and petals minute or want- 

 ing, and the field pepper-grass (L. campestre L.), downy or hoary 

 pubescent, leaves clasping the stem, pod spoon-shaped, both occur 

 in the State and will be more common. Remedies the same. 



43. Sisymbrium officinale L. Hedge Mustard. (A. I. 2.) 



Erect with rigid spreading branches, 1-3 feet high; leaves cut-lobed, 

 the lower segments turned backward, the upper leaves nearly sessile. 

 Flowers small, pale yellow. Pods slender, erect, awl-shaped, J inch long, 

 pressed closely against the stem ; seeds brown, oblong, cylindrical on back, 

 grooved on the other side, 1/16 inch long, one-third as wide. 



Common in waste places and fallow or abandoned fields. April- 

 Dec. The seed occurs in clover and grass seed and hay. Remedies : 

 frequent mowing; increased fertilization and cultivation. It, a?. 



Fig. 48. Showing flower with 2 stamens, 

 fruit and cross-section of latter. (After Britt-cn 

 and Brown.) 



