Lepidium nitidum  Nutt.
Tongue pepperweed

Family:  Brassicaceae

Habit:  Annual, erect to spreading, 1 to 4 dm; Stems slender, glabrous to moderately pubescent.

Distribution:  Common on alkaline soils, flats and slopes below 3000 feet throughout California, to Washington and Baja California.

Seed unit:  Free seed.

Seed:  2 to 3 mm. long, ovate-elliptic, pinkish brown, flat, with one edge thicker than the other.  Seeds are found one per chamber in the dehiscent fruit.

Embryo:  Foliar embryo, bent or folded, mucilaginous seed coat.

Purity instructions:   Pure seed definition:
AOSA:  PSU# 2 – Seed with at least a portion of the seed coat attached.  Broken seed larger than one-half the original size with at least a portion of the seed coat attached.
ISTA:  PSD #10 – Seed, with or without testa.  Piece of seed larger than one-half the original size, with or without testa.  Brassicaceae:  seeds and pieces of seed without testa are regarded as inert matter.

Lab notes:  Seeds are gelatinous when wetted.  Samples often contain a high percentage of dormant seeds; viability of ungerminated seeds may be determined using TZ.

Average pure seed units per gram:  998 seeds per gram (based on AOSA pure seed units only from 15 samples received for testing from 1992 to 2004).

Range of percent pure seed:   93 to 99%

Range of percent inert:  1 to 3%

Description of inert:  Plant material, dirt, stone.

Planting instructions:  400 seeds, TB, 14 days @ 20°C; for fresh and dormant seed, GA₃ recommended.