# Lesser Swine-Cress (*lepidium didymum*)

The Lesser Swine-Cress is a small plant with delicate leaves and tiny white flowers. It's often found in gardens and fields, making it a fun plant for kids to discover!

- **Category:** [Plants](https://www.snappit.app/explore/categories/plant)
- **Rarity:** Common
- **Danger:** 0/5 · No known danger
- **Snaps:** 1
- **Habitat:** Lesser Swine-Cress commonly grows in gardens, fields, and disturbed areas.
- **Also known as:** Ditch Cress, Field Cress, Swine-Cress

![Lesser Swine-Cress](https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=Special:Redirect/file/Kleine_varkenskers_stukje_plant_Coronopus_didymus.jpg&width=800)

Photo: Rasbak, CC BY-SA 3.0 · [Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Kleine_varkenskers_stukje_plant_Coronopus_didymus.jpg)

## Appearance

The Lesser Swine-Cress is a low-growing, sprawling plant with deeply lobed, often hairy leaves. Its tiny, inconspicuous greenish-white flowers form at the tips of stems. The most distinct feature is its small, flattened, kidney-shaped fruits that often grow in pairs.

## Taxonomy

- **Kingdom:** Plantae
- **Phylum:** Tracheophyta
- **Class:** Magnoliopsida
- **Order:** Brassicales
- **Family:** Brassicaceae
- **Genus:** Lepidium

## Interesting facts

- Despite being tiny, it's considered a hardy weed that can thrive in cracks of pavement!
- If you crush its leaves, it releases a strange smell, sometimes described as old peanut butter!
- Its unique fruit splits into two twin-like segments, giving it the scientific name 'didymum'!
- Just one plant can produce hundreds of tiny seeds, helping it spread far and wide!

## Special abilities

- **Twin Seed Pods:** Lesser Swine-Cress has unique kidney-shaped fruits that split into two parts, helping it scatter seeds effectively.
- **Hardy Pioneer:** Lesser Swine-Cress can thrive in compacted, disturbed soils where other plants struggle to grow.
- **Mustard Defense:** Lesser Swine-Cress has special chemicals in its leaves that deter some hungry herbivores from eating it.

## Measurements & details

- **Height:** 5-30 cm
- **Spread:** 5-20 cm
- **Flower Size:** 0.1-0.2 cm
- **Bloom Season:** Spring to Autumn
- **Edible:** Yes
- **Toxicity:** None
- **Lifecycle:** Annual
- **Pollination Method:** Insect

## Ecological connections

- **Eaten by:** Small White Butterfly (*Pieris rapae*) — Its caterpillars munch on the leaves.
- **Pollinates:** Honey Bee (*Apis mellifera*) — Honey bees visit its tiny flowers for nectar.
- **Eaten by:** [European Rabbit](https://www.snappit.app/explore/european-rabbit) (*Oryctolagus cuniculus*) — Rabbits might graze on its low-growing foliage.

## Traits

- [Colorful](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/colorful): Colorful describes organisms or objects displaying a wide range of bright and distinct colors.
- [Grassland](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/grassland): Grassland habitats are terrestrial biomes dominated by grasses and herbaceous plants, supporting a variety of grazing animals.
- [Herbivorous](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/herbivorous): This trait characterizes organisms whose diet consists entirely or primarily of plant material.
- [Diurnal](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/diurnal): Diurnal animals are primarily active during daylight hours, typically resting or sleeping at night.
- [Pollinator](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/pollinator): Describes organisms that transfer pollen, enabling the fertilization and reproduction of plants.

## Collections

- [Plants](https://www.snappit.app/explore/collections/plants)

## Safety

**Danger:** 0/5 · No known danger

No special safety notes yet.

## Frequently Asked Questions

### How to identify Lesser Swine-Cress?

Start with the whole plant, then compare leaf arrangement, leaf edges, stems and any flowers or fruit. Opposite leaves grow in pairs; alternate leaves come one at a time along the stem. These details tell you far more together than a single green leaf does. Plant Identifier: upload a photo and compare the visible details.

### How tall is Lesser Swine-Cress?

5-30 cm

### How wide does Lesser Swine-Cress spread?

5-20 cm

### How big are the flowers on Lesser Swine-Cress?

0.1-0.2 cm

### When does Lesser Swine-Cress bloom?

Spring to Autumn

### Is Lesser Swine-Cress edible?

Yes

### Is Lesser Swine-Cress toxic?

None

### What is Lesser Swine-Cress's lifecycle?

Annual

## Where to spot

- [Heilman Villas](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/heilman-villas) — California, US · Historic District
- [Lakewood Park](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/lakewood-park) — Virginia, US · Park

## More Plants

- [white snakeroot](https://www.snappit.app/explore/white-snakeroot) (*Ageratina altissima*)
- [tree-of-heaven](https://www.snappit.app/explore/tree-of-heaven) (*Ailanthus altissima*)
- [western sword fern](https://www.snappit.app/explore/western-sword-fern) (*Polystichum munitum*)
- [common milkweed](https://www.snappit.app/explore/common-milkweed) (*Asclepias syriaca*)

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Source: [Lesser Swine-Cress: Facts & Places to See — Snappit](https://www.snappit.app/explore/lesser-swine-cress)