Putnam Park Wildflowers


Flower ID: IMG_7599.JPG-07-11-2021
Flower name (scientific): Capsella bursa-pastoris (Linnaeus) Medikus PY: 1792. Pronunciation guide: (phonetic spelling) kap-SEL-luh BUR-suh PAS-tor-is
Flower name (common): Shepherd's Purse
Family name (common): Mustard
Family name (scientific): Brassicaceae
Scientific name origin:
     Genus: From Latin for a small box or case, supposedly referencing the appearance of the fruit looking similar to a wallet or purse.
    Specific epithet: A compound of bursa, Latin meaning pouch or purse, and pastoris, Latin for shepherd. The appearance of the fruit resembles a shepherd's purse.
Common name origin: Shape of the fruit resembles a shepherd's purse.
Flower description:
     Size: 0.2 to 0.3 inches (5 to 8 mm)
     Petal count: 4
     Color: white
     Other: flower arrangement, Raceme
Plant description:
     Size: 4 to 30 inches (10 to 76 cm)
     Stem hairy: sparsely to densely pubsecent
     Other:
Leaf description: attachment is basal and alternate, type is simple and lobed.
     Size: Basal leaves are typically 1.5 up to 10 cm long and up to 2.5 cm wide. Cauline leaves are about 1 to 5 cm long and up to about 1.5 cm wide.
     Color: Medium green
     Hairy: glabrate to hairy along the midvein on the underside surface and along the leaf margins.
     Other: Shape: leaf, basal: elliptic, lanceolate, or oblanceolate, and pinnately lobed (IL), oblong or oblanceolate (FNA), stem: elliptic, lanceolate, or oblanceolate, and pinnately lobed (IL), oblong, lanceolate, or linear (FNA)
Origin (native, introduced, invasive): Introduced
Status (common, uncommon, threatened, rare): Common
Bloom time (typical): April to August
Cycle (annual, biennial, perennial): Annual
Habitat: Disturbed areas, roadsides, waste areas, fields, sun or semi-shade.
Fruit: Silicles, which are highly characteristic of this species, green colored, obtriangular in shape, flattened, approximately 4 to 9 mm in length and 3 to 7 mm wide.
Seed: Brown colored, about 0.9 to 1.1 mm in length, oblong in outline.
Importance to wildlife:
Similar species (if any): Thlaspi arvense (Field Penny Cress) has some resemblance, but can be readily differentiated by the shape of the seed pods. T. arvense has seed pods obovate to nearly circular in outline, whereas Capsella bursa-pastoris has seed pods that are obtriangular in shape.
Ethnobotany: The Menominee employed this plant to treat poison ivy rash (Smith, p. 33, 1923). The Meskwaki used this plant as a medicine, with no illness specified (Smith, p. 219, 1928).
Latitude: 44.798205
Longitude: -91.513077
Altitude: 237.10
Distribution: In Wisconsin: (Adams, Ashland, Barron, Bayfield, Brown, Buffalo, Burnett, Calumet, Chippewa, Clark, Columbia, Crawford, Dane, Dodge, Door, Douglas, Dunn, Eau Claire, Florence, Fond du Lac, Forest, Grant, Green, Green Lake, Iowa, Jackson, Jefferson, Juneau, Kenosha, Kewaunee, La Crosse, Lafayette, Langlade, Lincoln, Manitowoc, Marathon, Marinette, Marquette, Menominee, Milwaukee, Monroe, Oconto, Oneida, Outagamie, Pepin, Pierce, Polk, Portage, Price, Racine, Richland, Rock, Rusk, Sauk, Sawyer, Shawano, Sheboygan, St. Croix, Taylor, Trempealeau, Vernon, Vilas, Walworth, Washburn, Washington, Waukesha, Waupaca, Waushara, Winnebago, Wood) Click here for distribution map
In US: (AK, AL, AR, AZ, CA, CO, CT, DC, DE, FL, GA, HI, IA, ID, IL, IN, KS, KY, LA, MA, MD, ME, MI, MN, MO, MS, MT, NC, ND, NE, NH, NJ, NM, NV, NY, OH, OK, OR, PA, RI, SC, SD, TN, TX, UT, VA, VT, WA, WI, WV, WY) Click here for distribution map
In Canada: (AB, BC, LB, MB, NB, NF, NS, NT, NU, ON, PE, QC, SK, YT) Click here for distribution map
References:
Synonym(s):
Basionym: Thlaspi bursa-pastoris Linnaeus Sp. Pl. 2: 647. 1753.
Homotypic Synonym(s): POWO lists 5 homotypic synonyms for this species.
Heterotypic Synonym(s): na
Autonym: Capsella bursa-pastoris subsp. bursa-pastoris (The other infraspecific is Capsella bursa-pastoris subsp. thracicus (Velenovský) Stojanov & Stef. and this has not been recorded in North America.)
Wetland Status (NC): FACU
Wetland Status (MW): FACU