J&, [ 1485 ]
T H L A S P I Bursa-Pastoris.
Common Shepherd’s Purse.
TETRADYNAMIA Siliculosa.
Gen. Char. Pouch notched, inversely heart-shaped,
with several seeds: valves boat-like, their keels
forming the border: partition contrary to the valves.
Spec. Char. Hairy. Pouch inversely heart-shaped,
somewhat triangular. Radical leaves pinnatifid.
Syn. Thlaspi Bursa-Pastoris. Linn. Sp. PL 903. Sm.
FI. Brit. 687. Buds. 283. IVith. 571. Hull. 146.
Relh. 2 5 3 . Sibth. 200. Abbot. 141. Curt. Lond.
fasc. 1. t. 50.
Bursa Pastoris. Rail Syn. 306. i
O n e of the most common of weeds, and, like the generality
of such, varying extremely in size and luxuriance, and consequently
in the form of its leaves. It is annual, and flowers
from the beginning of spring till the end of autumn, ripening
copiously its triangular pods or pouches, which gave rise to its
name, and which at once distinguish it from all other British
plants.
Root small, tapering, branched, exhaling a peculiar smokelike
scent when pulled out of the ground. Whole herb rough
with prominent hairs. Stem various in height, generally
branched, leafy, each branch terminating in a corymbus of
many small white flowers, often tinged with purplish brown.
Radical leaves numerous, spreading, pinnatifid and sharply
toothed, except in very dry places; stem-leaves oblong, sessile,
clasping the stem with their arrow-shaped base. Pouch
smooth, with many pendent seeds in each cell. Its margin
is scarcely dilated. The style which crowns the pouch is very
short.
Small birds eat the seeds and young flowers.