Barneby's pepperweed facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Barneby's pepperweed |
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| Conservation status | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Genus: |
Lepidium
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| Species: |
barnebyanum
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Lepidium barnebyanum is a very rare flowering plant. It is also known as Barneby's pepperweed. This plant is found only in Utah, specifically in Duchesne County. It is considered an endangered species by the United States government. This means it is at high risk of disappearing forever.
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About Barneby's Pepperweed
This special plant belongs to the Brassicaceae family. This family includes plants like mustard and cabbage. Barneby's pepperweed is a perennial herb. This means it lives for more than two years. It grows in a clumpy shape.
What Does It Look Like?
This plant has a woody base called a caudex. New leaves grow from this base. Old leaves stay there too. The stems are usually short, less than 20 centimeters (about 8 inches) tall. Its leaves are long and narrow. They can be from half a centimeter to eight centimeters long. Most leaves grow at the base of the plant. A few smaller ones are found higher on the stems.
The plant produces many small flowers. These flowers grow in a cluster called a raceme. They can be white, cream, or yellowish. The plant usually blooms in spring, from April through June.
Where Does It Grow?
Barneby's pepperweed grows in special places. It likes pinyon-juniper woodlands. It also grows in desert scrub areas. You can find it on rock outcrops. These rocks are made of white shale. Shale is a type of rock that breaks easily into thin layers. There are also petroleum deposits under these rocks.
Other plants that grow nearby include:
- Colorado pinyon (Pinus edulis)
- Utah juniper (Juniperus osteosperma)
- Hooker's sandwort (Arenaria hookeri)
- spiny phlox (Phlox hoodii)
- Colorado feverfew (Parthenium ligulatum)
- large-flowered goldenweed (Haplopappus armerioides)
- stemless hymenoxys (Hymenoxys acaulis)
- Bateman's buckwheat (Eriogonum batemanii)
- table Townsend daisy (Townsendia mensana)
Why Is It Endangered?
There is only one known group of these plants. This group has about 5,000 individual plants. They live on the shale rocks. This area is popular with off-road vehicle users. Their vehicles can damage the plant's home.
Another threat is petroleum exploration. This involves looking for oil under the ground. Such activities can also harm the plant's habitat. Because of these threats, Barneby's pepperweed is an endangered species. Efforts are being made to protect this unique plant.
