Hairy white top or ballcress (Lepidium appelianum)
Description: Perennial creeping and branching mustard plant in the brassicaceae family that grows up to two feet tall. Plants appear grey-green, soft, and hairy
Life Cycle: Perennial
Habitat: Open conditions, pastures, and disturbed areas. Prefers alkaline soils
Leaves: Blue-green in color with lower leaves being stalked and upper leaves having two lobes clasping the stem
Flower: Clustered white flowers in racemes made up of 20-30 flowers. The flowers are around 4 mm long from the sepal base to the tip of the petal.
Fruit: Inflated seeds pods are oval in shape and covered in fine hairs
Root: Deep, spreading root system
The problem is…hairy white top is a prolific spreader. Each plant produces 300-2000 seeds and shoots can develop from any part of the permanent root system.
