Capsella bursa-pastoris
species of plant
Capsella bursa-pastoris, commonly known as shepherd's purse or lady's purse, is a small flowering plant in the mustard family. It has been described as a protocarnivore because its seeds contain mucilage, which traps nematodes.
The plant is native to Eurasia but is naturalized and considered a common weed in many parts of the world, especially in colder climates. It has a number of culinary uses.
Description
Capsella bursa-pastoris is a ruderal and an annual or biennial plant. It grows from a rosette of lobed leaves at the base. From the base emerges a stem most often 10–50 cm (4–20 in) tall, but occasionally as much as 70 cm (28 in) or as little as 2 cm (3⁄4 in), which bears a few pointed leaves partly grasping the stem, each up to 6.5 cm (2+1⁄2 in) long.
The flowers, which appear in any month of the year in the British Isles, are white and small, 2.5 mm (1⁄8 in) in diameter, with four petals and six stamens. They are borne in loose racemes, and produce flattened, two-chambered seed pods known as silicles, which are about 6 mm long and triangular to heart-shaped, each containing several seeds.
Research
Like a number of other plants in several plant families, its seeds contain a substance known as mucilage, a condition known as myxospermy.
The public source identifies “Capsella bursa-pastoris” as species of plant. This brief keeps that definition visible, then builds a research path around Capsella, bursa-pastoris and species.
Why this record matters
A short description can identify a subject without explaining its stakes. For “Capsella bursa-pastoris”, the useful work is to connect “species of plant” to the records capable of establishing context and consequence.
Datasets, specimens, observations and peer-reviewed methods provide the appropriate test for the technical claims summarized here. The source revision retrieved here is dated Apr 3, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q27264.
Current terminology should not be projected backward without checking the classification used when the underlying evidence was created. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
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This entry incorporates text from “Capsella bursa-pastoris” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.