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Capsella bursa-pastoris (L.) Medik.

Overview
General Information
ID Info
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Aperçu
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Family :

Famille :

Brassicaceae

Synonym(s) :

Synonyme(s) :

Thlaspi bursa-pastoris L. (FOC 1994+; USDA-ARS 2022)

Common Name(s) :

Nom(s) commun(s) :

Shepherd’s-purse

(English) (Darbyshire 2003; Wiersema & León 2016)

Bourse-à-pasteur (French) (Darbyshire 2003; Wiersema & León 2016)

荠 qi (Chinese) (FOC 1994+)

Hirtentäschel (German) (Wiersema & León 2016; USDA-ARS 2022)

Zurrón de pastor (Spanish) (Wiersema & León 2016; USDA-ARS 2022)

Bolsa-de-pastor (Portuguese) (Wiersema & León 2016; USDA-ARS 2022)

 

Shepherd’s-purse (Capsella bursa-pastoris) seeds

  • Shepherd’s-purse (Capsella bursa-pastoris) seeds

  • Shepherd’s-purse (Capsella bursa-pastoris) seeds

  • Shepherd’s-purse (Capsella bursa-pastoris) seed

  • Capsella bursa-pastoris  (shepherd’s-purse) flowers and silicles

  • Capsella bursa-pastoris  (shepherd’s-purse) immature silicle and developing seeds

  • Capsella bursa-pastoris  (shepherd’s-purse) mature silicle, opened with seeds

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Overview

Aperçu

Regulation :

Remarques Réglementation:

    Regulation Notes:

    Distribution :

    Répartition :

    Capsella bursa-pastoris is native to Europe and western Asia, origin is believed to be the Mediterranean area or eastern Europe (Holm et al. 1991; Aksoy et al. 1998; Ahmed et al. 2022). It has a preference for temperate climates and occurs in higher elevations in tropical or subtropical areas (Ahmed et al. 2022). This cosmopolitan species has a worldwide distribution, and is common in Australia, New Zealand, the British Isles, across Canada, and the United States, especially in the coastal and southern states, and southwestern Mexico (Aksoy et al. 1998; Brouillet et al. 2010+; Ahmed et al. 2022).

     

    Habitat and Crop Association :

    Habitat et Cultures Associées :

    Capsella bursa-pastoris is an opportunistic species that colonizes disturbed soils of all types, but appears to have a preference for fertile clay or sandy-loam soils (Aksoy et al. 1998; Ahmed et al. 2022). It has been found in urban and rural wastelands, cultivated fields, gardens, pastures, lawns and roadsides (Holm et al. 1991; Aksoy et al. 1998; Darbyshire 2003).

    C. bursa-pastoris is a major weed species in Triticum aestivum subsp. aestivum (wheat), Hordeum vulgare subsp. vulgare (barley), Avena sativa (oats), Linum usitatissimum (flax), Saccharum officinarium (sugarcane), Allium cepa (onion), Beta vulgaris subsp. vulgaris (sugar beet), Solanum tuberosum (potato), and other vegetable crops (Holm et al. 1991; Ahmed et al. 2022)

     

    Economic Use, cultivation area, and Weed Association :

    Utilisation économique, zone de culture et association de mauvaises herbes :

    The leaves of C. bursa-pastoris have been used as a salad green, and the seeds have been used medicinally in Turkey and China (Aksoy et al. 1999).

    Duration of Life Cycle :

    Durée du cycle vital:

    Annual or biennial

    Dispersal Unit Type :

    Type d’unité de dispersion :

    Seed

    General Information

    RENSEIGNEMENTS GÉNÉRAUX

    Capsella bursa-pastoris is a recent allotetraploid species (combined genomes of two ancestors), only reproduces through seed and can self-fertilize (Aksoy et al. 1998; Bachmann et al. 2021). It is believed to have developed as a natural hybrid between Capsella orientalis Klokov and C. grandiflora (Faucheé & Chaub.) Boiss. or C. rubella Reut. in central Europe 100,000-300,000 years ago and was spread with agriculture throughout Europe (Aksoy et al. 1998; Bachmann et al. 2021).

    The species is able to adapt to a wide range of habitats (Neuffer and Hurka 1999; Ahmed et al. 2022). These adaptations can occur during plant development (phenotypic plasticity) and may be incorporated into the seed (genotypic variation) (Neuffer and Hurka 1999). Plants in North America have a mix of genotypes from regions such as Central Europe and the Mediterranean (Neuffer and Hurka 1999).

    C. bursa-pastoris fruits can produce up to 39 seeds, and the plants have been estimated to produce between 5,000 to 90,000 seeds (Aksoy et al. 1999; Ahmed et al. 2022).

    Seeds can fall within 50 cm of the plant unassisted, and this distance increased when aided by wind, rain, insects, machines, or mammals (Aksoy et al. 1999). Mucilage produced by wetted seeds can stick to animals and machines, and this is shown by particular colonization of paths, roadsides, wastelands and gardens (Aksoy et al. 1999). This species produces a persistent seed bank in the soil, viable seeds decline after 5 years, but viable seed has been recorded after being dormant for 35 years (Aksoy et al. 1999).

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    Identification

    Identification

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    • Silicle

      Size

      Silicle size from literature:

      • Silicle length: 0.4 – 0.9 cm; width 3-7 mm (FNA 1993+)
      • Silicle length: 4-10 mm; width: 3.4-8 mm (Ahmed et al. 2022)

      Shape

      • Silicle is triangular or heart-shaped with a V-shaped notch at the wide end, and wedge-shaped at the narrow end, compressed in edge view
      • Style remnant within the notch of the wide end

      Surface Texture

      • Silicle surface is smooth, mature silicles have raised venation in a reticulate pattern

      Colour

      • Mature silicles are straw yellow coloured

      Other Features

      • Silicle is attached to the plant at the narrow end
      • Replum (partition) of the silicle is perpendicular to the flat sides (angle of compression)
      • Silicle splits open at maturity along a central seam and the two valves fall away, leaving an oval-shaped replum attached to the stem
      • Seeds remain attached to the exposed replum until dispersal

      Capsella bursa-pastoris  (shepherd’s-purse) mature silicle, opened with seeds

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    • Seed

      Size

      • Seed length*: 0.8 – 1.2 mm; width: 0.5 – 0.7
      *Note: minimum and maximum of 10 seeds in a normal range of this species using image measurement (ISMA 2020)

      Additional size from literature:
      • Seed length: 0.9-1.1; width: 0.4-0.6 mm (FNA 1993+)
      • Seed length: on average 0.8-1.0 mm; width: 0.6-0.8 mm (Aksoy et al. 1998)
      • Seed length: 0.8 – 1 mm (Ahmed et al. 2022)

      Shape

      • Seed is oblong shaped, with a curved end and a truncate end.
      • Compressed in the edge view

      Surface Texture

      • Seed surface has a ridged reticulate pattern with generally square interspaces, may be wrinkled longitudinally
      • Seed has one or two central longitudinal groove(s) between the radicle and the cotyledons

      Colour

      • Seed is generally orange-yellow coloured, truncate end is marked with a transverse black line
      • Thin tissue attached at the truncate end tends to be yellow or whitish-brown

      Shepherd’s-purse (Capsella bursa-pastoris) seeds

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    • Embryo

      Size

      • Embryo fills the seed

      Shape

      • Embryo folded

      Endosperm

      • Nutritive tissue is contained in the cotyledons (Martin 1946)

      Other Features

      • Embryo in axial position

    Identification Tips

    CONSEILS POUR L’IDENTIFICATION

    Among the small-seeded species in the Brassicaceae, i.e., length up to 1.5 mm, C. bursa-pastoris seeds can be distinguished by their oblong shape, prominent radicle groove, and even compression across the seed (i.e., not curved or angled).

    Similar species, e.g., Descurainia sophia and Sisymbrium loeselii seed are generally longitudinally twisted, bent in the middle, or have a curved end opposite the hilum. Since small-seeded Brassicaceae can have variable shapes, examination of the surface reticulation may be needed to distinguish them. Under 40x and higher magnifications, the reticulation of C. bursa-pastoris generally has square interspaces.

    Shepherd’s-purse (Capsella bursa-pastoris) seed

    Additional Botany Information

    AUTRES RENSEIGNEMENTS BOTANIQUES

    Flowers/Inflorescence

    • Flower length: 2.5 – 8 mm (Ahmed et al. 2022)
    • Sepals green or reddish coloured length 1.5 – 2 mm; width: 0.7-1 mm (FNA 1993+; Ahmed et al. 2022)
    • Petals white, rounded at tip, larger than sepals, length: 2-4 mm; width: 1-1.5 mm (FNA 1993+; Ahmed et al. 2022)

    Vegetative Features

    • One or several stems (length: generally 10-60 cm, can be up to 90cm; Ahmed et al. 2022) grow from a basal whorl of leaves covered in stellate and simple hairs (FNA 1993+; Aksoy et al. 1998; Ahmed et al. 2022)
    • The basal leaves (length: 3-15 cm; width 4 cm) are entire, shallowly lobed or deeply toothed (Ahmed et al. 2022)

    Similar Species

    ESPÈCES SEMBLABLES

    Similar species are based on a study of seed morphology of various species, and those with similar dispersal units are identified. The study is limited by physical specimen and literature availability at the time of examination, and possibly impacted by the subjectivity of the authors based on their knowledge and experience. Providing similar species information for seed identification is to make users aware of similarities that could possibly result in misidentification.

     

    Descurainia sophia (L.) Webb ex Prantl

    The seeds of D. sophia are a similar size (length*: 0.9 – 1.3 mm; width: 0.5 – 0.7 mm) as C. bursa-pastoris, but can be distinguished by a longitudinal twist or transverse bend in the seeds, more shallow radicle groove and the smaller, rectangular interspaces compared to the regular shape and square interspaces on C. bursa-pastoris.

    Sisymbrium loeselii L.

    S. loeselli seeds are generally a similar size or smaller compared to C. bursa-pastoris (length*: 0.6 – 1.0 mm; width: 0.5 – 0.6 mm). The seeds have a variable shape: they may be twisted longitudinally, transverse bent, and/or with an oblique end. The seeds are shiny or glossy yellow coloured, have a finely wrinkled surface without a radicle groove compared to the regular shaped, shiny orangish coloured seeds and radicle groove of C. bursa-pastoris.

    *Note: minimum and maximum of 10 seeds in a normal range of this species using image measurement (ISMA 2020)

    Capsella species

    Other Capsella species such a C. grandiflora (Fauché & Chaub.) Boiss. and C. rubella Kolov appear very similar to C. bursa-pastoris, with an oblong shape, radicle groove, orangish colour and square reticulation interspaces. It is difficult to distinguish between the seeds of C. bursa-pastoris and the less common Capsella species, but the plants can be separated.

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    Reference(s)

    Référence(s)

    Ahmed, H.T., Francis, A., Clements, D.R., Dyck, E., Ross, N.,Upadhyaya, M.K., Hall, L.M. and Martin, S.L. 2022. The Biology of Canadian Weeds. 159. Capsella bursa-pastoris (L.) Medik. Canadian Journal of Plant Sciences 102: 529–552.

    Aksoy, A., Dixon, J.M. and Hale, W.H.G. 1998. Capsella bursa-pastoris (L.) Medikus (Thlaspi bursa- pastoris L., Bursa bursa-pastoris (L.) Shull, Bursa pastoris (L.) Weber). Journal of Ecology 86: 171-186.

    Bachmann, J.A.,Tedder, A.,Fracassetti, M., Steige, K.A., Lafon-Placette,C., Köhler,C., and Slotte, T. 2021. On the origin of the widespread self-compatible allotetraploid Capsella bursa-pastoris (Brassicaceae). Heredity 127: 124–134.

    Brouillet, L., Coursol, F., Meades, S. J., Favreau, M., Anions, M., Bélisle, P. and Desmet, P. 2010+. VASCAN, the database of vascular plants of Canada. http://data.canadensys.net/vascan/ Accessed August 09, 2022.

    Darbyshire, S. J. 2003. Inventory of Canadian Agricultural Weeds. Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Research Branch. Ottawa, ON.

    Flora of China (FOC) 1994+. Capsella bursa-pastoris Vol. 8 Page 43 (English edition) http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=2&taxon_id=200009292 Accessed October 25, 2023.

    Flora of North America (FNA) Editorial Committee, eds. 1993+. Flora of North America North of Mexico [Online]. 22+ vols. New York and Oxford. http://beta.floranorthamerica.org. Accessed August 08, 2022.

    Holm, L.G., Plucknett, D.L., Pancho, J.V. and Herberger, J.P. 1991. The World’s Worst Weeds, Distribution and Biology. Krieger Publishing, Florida. 609 pp.

    International Seed Morphology Association (ISMA). 2020. Method for Seed Size Measurement. Version 1.0. ISMA Publication Guide.

    Martin, A.C. 1946. The comparative internal morphology of seeds. The American Midland Naturalist 36: 513-660.

    Neuffer B. and Hurka H. 1999. Colonization history and introduction dynamics of Capsella bursa-pastoris (Brassicaceae) in North America: isozymes and quantitative traits. Molecular Ecology 8: 1667–1681.

    U.S. Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Services (USDA-ARS). 2022. Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN), https://npgsweb.ars-grin.gov/gringlobal/taxon/taxonomysearch Accessed July 26, 2022.

    U.S. Department of Agriculture-Natural Resources Conservation Service (USDA-NRCS). 2022. The PLANTS Database. National Plant Data Team, Greensboro, NC USA. https://plants.usda.gov/home Accessed July 26, 2022.

    Wiersema, John, H. and Blanca León. 2016. World Economic Plants. Available from: VitalSource Bookshelf, (2nd Edition). Taylor & Francis.

    Author(s)

    AUTEUR(S)

    Jennifer Neudorf, Angela Salzl, Ruojing Wang,

    Canadian Food Inspection Agency

    contactus@idseed.org

    Last updated
    on 2023-03-27

    © 2024 ISMA - International Seed Morphology Association