Vascular Plants of North Carolina
Account for Common Shepherd's Purse - Capsella bursa-pastoris   (L.) Medikus
Members of Brassicaceae:
Only member of Capsella in NC.
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Section 6 » Order Capparales » Family Brassicaceae
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Author(L.) Medikus
DistributionThroughout the state; probably in every county.

Native of Eurasia and Africa; in N.A. throughout, including Greenland.
AbundanceFrequent to often common.
HabitatFields, cropfields, roadsides, farms, barnyards, pastures, waste ground, vacant lots.
PhenologyFlowering and fruiting February-June.
IdentificationShepherd's Purse is readily identified by its triangular pod that points downward at the tip of a long skinny stalk. The basal leaves are cut rather like a Common Dandelion (Taraxacum officinale). The flowers are tiny and white.
Taxonomic Comments
Other Common Name(s)
State RankSE
Global RankGNR
State Status
US Status
USACE-agcpFACU link
USACE-empFACU link
County Map - click on a county to view source of record.
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B.A. SorrieFallow field, Piedmont, May 2021. MoorePhoto_non_natural