INVASIVE! Perennial PEPPERWEED
Lepidium latifolium- Please join us in eradicating perennial pepperweed.
Pepperweed can be found growing near
the high tide line at
the upper edges of salt marshes and rocky pocket beaches.
Although pepperweed was first recorded in Peabody, MA in 1924 and Norton, CT in 1933, it has only recently been observed spreading rapidly in Massachusetts and Connecticut.
Most coastal communities remain unaware of pepperweed and its invasive potential to colonize upper wetland edges and riparian areas as well as disturbed areas and roadways. Another phragmites problem in the making, because pepperweed
- Is salt tolerant and produces hundreds of tiny seeds
- Spreads both by rhizomes and by seed
- Seeds and roots remain viable in salt water and thus may be dispersed by tidal currents, as well as by animals, humans or vehicles
- Root fragments as small as 2.5 cm are able to re-sprout and grow into a multi-stemmed plant.
We will be pulling repeatedly between June and October and need groups of volunteers to locate and remove this highly invasive plant.
Call 978-741-7900 or email us if you want to volunteer or have seen an area of pepperweed!
Additional Resources
How to Identify Perennial Pepperweed from May through Late Fall PDF 1MB from New Hampshire Coastal Program and Department of Environmental Services. - great pictures of the plant and where it tends to grow!!
A one-page flyer with photo and intro to Pepperweed. PDF 214KB
Great Marsh Pepperweed Eradication Project Website by Parker River National Wildlife Refuge who has been conducting an eradication project since 2006 with Mass Audubon and other partners.
IPANE- Invasive Plant Atlas of New England -Pepperweed Website with Names, Images, Description, History, Management Links and more.