Peppergrass, a member of the mustard family, is named for its pepper-like flavor.
It is native to the eastern United States, but widely distributed elsewhere.
It has been used as a flavoring agent for thousands of years. It is found on roadsides,
in fields, waste areas, distrubed sites, prairies, and pastures.
Plants: Plants start life as a low-growing rosette. (At least that’s
what I read—they don’t attract much notice and I couldn’t find photos of them.) Later, stems, sometimes
branched, reach 9-18″ (22-45 cm) in height.
Leaves: The basal rosette leaves are spatula-shaped,
sometimes toothed or lobed, 1-4″ (2.5-10 cm) × ¼-1″ (6.3-25 mm).
Stem leaves are up to 3½″ (8.9 cm) ×
¾″ (1.9 cm), more linear, less often toothed,
and sessile (connected directly to the stem).
Flowers: Flowers form cylindrical racemes
2-4″ (5-10 cm) long, with tiny white flowers. Each flower is less than ⅛″ (3.2 mm) around,
has four white petals and
four green sepals.
Fruits: Flowers are replaced by seedpods, working up from the
bottom. Each seedpod somewhat resembles a little spoon: it is flat, oval, with a central dividing partition and a small notch
at the end, on a petiole about
¼″ (6.3 mm) long. They are green, turning to brown. Sometimes the entire dried
seed head breaks off and is carried elsewhere by the wind.
Edibility: Young leaves, which contain protein, iron, and vitamins A and C,
can be sautéed or used in salads. Seedpods
can substitute for black pepper. Roots, washed, crushed and mixed with vinegar, produce
a horseradish substitute.
Medical: Preparations made from the roots have
historically been used for both the treatment of diarrhea and constipation. Think about it!
There are no substantiated medical uses of this species.