Quercus

Virginia Peppergrass

Lepidium virginicum

Native to Kentucky (estimated)

Ecological relationships

Who uses this plant?

11CaterpillarsGenus host records with ranges including KY

Genus host records with ranges including KY · Lepidium

  • Anthocharis mideaFalcate Orangetip
  • Chlorochlamys chloroleucariaBlackberry Looper Moth
  • Euchloe olympiaOlympia Marble, Rosy Marble
  • Eustixia pupulaSpotted Peppergrass Moth
  • Feltia subterraneaSubterranean Dart, Granulate Cutworm
  • Hellula rogatalisCabbage Webworm
  • Plutella porrectellaDame's Violet Moth, Dame's Rocket Moth
  • Pontia protodiceCheckered White
  • Spodoptera frugiperdaFall Armyworm Moth
  • Thyridopteryx ephemeraeformisEvergreen Bagworm Moth
Show all 11
  • Xanthorhoe labradorensisLabrador Carpet, Packard’s Carpet
Shropshire & Tallamy 2025, Lepidoptera of North America north of Mexico, ZooKeys 1261 (ODbL)
7BeesSoutheastern regional records

Southeastern regional records · Lepidium

Individual names are not available yet.

Noori, Seltmann & Orr 2026, A curated and integrated dataset for exploring global bee-plant interactions (GloBI), Zenodo, CC BY 4.0
0Specialist beesPollen specialists
5BirdsRecorded genus food-resource interactions; not a state feeding claim

Recorded genus food-resource interactions; not a state feeding claim · Lepidium

  • Callipepla californicaCalifornia Quail
  • Centrocercus urophasianusGreater Sage-Grouse
  • Columbina passerinaCommon Ground Dove
  • Perdix perdixGray Partridge
  • Zenaida macrouraMourning Dove
Hurlbert, Olsen, Sawyer & Winner 2021, Avian Diet Database, Scientific Data 8: 260 (CC0)
Flies 6
  • Cistogaster occidua
  • Gymnosoma fuliginosa
  • Limnophora narona
  • Nemotelus glaber
  • Phorantha purpurascens
  • Zodion fulvifrons

Flower visits · Carlinville, Illinois, USA

Adult butterflies / moths 1
  • Pontia protodice

Flower visits · Carlinville, Illinois, USA

Other wasps 3
  • Anoplius illinoensis
  • Leionotus clypeatus
  • Leionotus illinoensis

Flower visits · Carlinville, Illinois, USA

No records yet · Ants · Beetles · Other insects

Growing and identification

Plant details

Family
Brassicaceae
Flower color
White

Safety has not been reviewed for this plant; check toxicity and thorns before planting.

Growing sources and scope
Also known as

Virginia Peppergrass

Conservation status

Kentucky rankNot available
Global rankG5
KY statusNot verified
Federal statusNot verified

Conservation source Global and federal source

In your garden

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Sources