About Lepidium austrinum Small
Lepidium austrinum Small is an herbaceous plant. Early in its growth, its leaves form a rosette, and the stem later branches from the base. Under ideal growing conditions, it can reach up to 94 cm (37 inches) in height, and it can grow as either an annual or a biennial. Its stem leaves range from much longer than wide with the widest portion near the tip to very narrow. Leaf margins can be smooth or toothed, while leaves at the base are deeply lobed. The flowers are very small and white, and some flowers do not produce petals. The fruits are flattened, somewhat rounded, and each has a noticeable notch at the tip. Unlike many other Lepidium species, all green parts of Lepidium austrinum are covered in stiff, moderately long hairs. This species is native to a range extending from central to east-central United States, south through the northeastern quarter of Mexico. It grows in open, disturbed areas with sandy to loamy soils. A study focused on how plant secondary compounds affect white-tailed deer food supplies in the Tamaulipan thorn scrub of northern Mexico (also called Tamaulipan Mezquital and Brush Country) found that white-tailed deer consume Lepidium austrinum in spring. The plant's dry matter digestibility was measured at 65.6%, which is about average among the forbs that deer consume. Its total nitrogen content, an indicator of protein content, is 2.4 grams per 100 grams of dry matter. Several bird species feed on this plant's fruit pods. The round seedpods of Lepidium austrinum can add a peppery flavor to salads.
