Taxon Details

Lepidium latipes var. heckardii

Heckard's pepper-grass

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Photo of Lepidium latipes var. heckardii

2018 Jennifer Buck

Taxon Summary:

Lepidium latipes var. heckardii, commonly known as Heckard's pepper-grass, is a annual herb in the Brassicaceae that is found only in California. It occurs within Valley and foothill grassland, growing at elevations from 2 to 200 meters. Lepidium latipes var. heckardii is ranked 1B.2, Plants Rare, Threatened or Endangered in California and Elsewhere; Moderately threatened in California.

Classification

Scientific Name: Lepidium latipes Hook. var. heckardii Roll.
Common Name: Heckard's pepper-grass
Family:	Brassicaceae
Element Code:	PDBRA1M0K1
USDA Plants Symbol:	LELAH2
Synonyms/Other Names:
Name Status:	JEF, FNA, POWO, IPNI, Tropicos

Conservation Status

CA Rare Plant Rank:	1B.2
Fed List:	None
State List:	None
Global Rank:	G4T1
State Rank:	S1
Other Status:
CRPR Changes: changed from 1B.2 to 1B.2 on 2013-03-28
Add Date:	1994-01-01
Date Edited:	2025-10-29

Ecology and Life History

Lifeform: annual herb

Blooming Period: Mar-May

Elevation:
2 - 200 meters
5 - 655 feet

General Habitats:

Valley and foothill grassland (alkaline flats)

Microhabitat Details:

Microhabitat:

Notes

Notes: Many plants from the Woodland area (YOL Co.) are intermediate with L. latipes var. latipes; needs further study. A synonym of L. latipes in TJM 2. See Harvard Papers in Botany 4:47 (1993) for original description.
Threats:
Taxonomy:

Threat List Data from the CNDDB

THREAT LIST:
Threat List Total:	4
	Total EOs	% of EOs
EOs with Threat Listed:	5	36 %
Development	2	14%
Grazing	2	14%
Disking	1	7%
Foot traffic/trampling	1	7%

Occurrence Data from the CNDDB

Element Occurrence Ranks:
Total Occurrences:					14
A	B	C	D	X	U
4	4	2	0	0	4

Occurrence Status:
Historical >20 Years	9
Recent <=20 Years	5

Presence:
Presumed Extant	14
Possibly Extirpated	0
Presumed Extirpated	0

Location

California Endemic:

California Island:

States: Name (Code)
California (CA)

California Counties and Islands: Name (Code)
Glenn (GLE), Merced (MER), Sacramento (SAC), Solano (SOL), Yolo (YOL)

Quads: Name (Quad Code)
Arena (3712036), Clarksburg (3812145), Davis (3812156), Dozier (3812137), Eldorado Bend (3812177), Florin (3812144), Grays Bend (3812166), Liberty Island (3812136), Logandale (3912242), Saxon (3812146), Zamora (3812178)

Notes:

Definitions of codes following a county and/or quad:
*		Presumed extirpated
(?)		Occurrence confirmed, but possibly extirpated
Quad and county data is imported from the CNDDB. Species may be present in other areas where conditions are favorable. These data should NOT be substituted for pre-project review or for on-site surveys.

Regional Map

Map

Presumed Extant

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CNPS Rare Plant Inventory