Capsella bursa - pastoris - shepherd’s purse

	DISSEMINATION

Kingdom	Plantae
Sub Kingdom	Tracheobionta (vascular plant)
Superdivision	Spermatophyta (seed plant)
Division	Magnoliophyta (flowering plant)
Class	Magnoliopsida (dicotyledon)
Order	Capparales
Family	Brassicaceae
Genus	*Capsella*
Species	*bursa - pastoris*
Classification	(L.) Medik.
Common name	shepherd’s purse

Geographic Range	it is native to Europe, but now it’s widespread in all mild regions.
Physical Characteristics	annual plant up to 50 centimeters high. It reproduces only by seeds. The stems are flexible and usually ramate, covered with grey hair. Basal leaves are neatly lobate and form a basal rosette. The leaves of the stem are alternate, arrow-shaped, with smooth or dentate ends. They do not have a petiole and they wrap up the stem. Flowers are small and white, made up of four petals about 2 millimeters long. They are located in the upper part of the stem (which has no leaves) and they appear at the beginning of the spring. The capsules containing the seeds (hulls) are flat, triangular, and they have a cut on the apex and can be found all over the stem. Each capsule produces about 20 seeds, and each Capsella plant may produce up to 38500 seeds.
Habitat	disturbed soils, pastures, roadsides, railway slopes, and fields.

Sources
References	The University of Arizona Press University of California - Statewide Integrated Pest Management Program Government of Manitoba - Minister of Agriculture and Food Missouri Flora Web Site
Web References	http://www.uapress.arizona.edu/ http://www.ipm.ucdavis.edu/default.html http://www.gov.mb.ca/agriculture/ http://www.missouriplants.com/
Source of the photo	http://www.asahi-net.or.jp/