Summary ³

Perennial herb with erect or ascending stems that branch from the base and grow to 25 cm; stems are often purplish towards the tip. Leaves up to 5 alternately attached to the stem; leaf blades 2-12 x 0.5-3 cm, pinnate with 5-15 leaflets; terminal leaflet is 3-lobed. Flowers: 1-15 white (sometimes purplish) flowers arranged in a raceme on short (3-4 mm) stalks; four petals 3-4 mm long, each with long claw. Fruits: long narrows pods that open explosively to disperse seeds.

Distribution ³

Introduced in South Georgia, can be found in King Edward Cove.
Native to Chile

Additional Comments ⁴

Looks like shepperd's purse, however the latter has lobed to undivided leaves and heart-shaped fruit pods.
Has white flowers, often purplish leaves. Seed pods explode when ripe.

Sources and Credits

1. (c) Kelvin Floyd, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), uploaded by Kelvin Floyd
2. (c) Deirdre Mitchell, all rights reserved, uploaded by Deirdre Mitchell
3. Adapted by stuwhiterod from a work by (c) Kelvin Floyd, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA)
4. Adapted by Deirdre Mitchell from a work by (c) Kelvin Floyd, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA)

More Info

• iNat taxon page
• Biodiversity Heritage Library
• BOLD Systems BIN search
• eFloras.org
• Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF)
• HOSTS - a Database of the World's Lepidopteran Hostplants
• IPNI (with links to POWO, WFO, and BHL)
• NatureServe Explorer 2.0
• SEINet Symbiota portals
• Tropicos
• World Flora Online

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