Malcolmia africana (L.) W.T. Aiton

Lepidium species are annual or perennial herbs, usually pubescent with branched hairs. Rootstocks slender, taproot. Stem erect, ascending, leafy, simple or usually branched, pubescent above with forked trichomes. Basal leaves simple, not in rosulate, linear lanceolate to oblong, base cuneate to attenuate, margin entire, dentate to pinnatifid, apex acute to obtuse, petiolate, cauline leaves gradually smaller, base not auriculate, margin entire to dentate, petiole short to subsessile. Inflorescence racemes, few to many flowered, lax, ebracteate, rarely bracteate. Flowers bisexual, white, yellow, pink, purple, pedicel erect or slightly curved, divaricate, stout, thick or slender, ascending, sepals 4, ovate-oblong, persistent, lateral pair base saccate or not, petals 4, obovate-spathulate to oblong, base cuneate, margins entire, apex obtuse, claw distinct. Stamens 6, tetradynamous, longer stamens connate in pairs, filaments dilated or not near the base, anthers linear, ovate-oblong, median glands absent. Ovary superior, bicarpellary, ovules 25-90. Fruit siliqua, dehiscent, linear cylindrical, terete, quadrangular, latiseptate, vales tri-nerved, glabrous or pubescent, somewhat rigid, replum rounded, septum complete, style obsolete, stigma bilobed. Seeds uniserate, oblong-ovoid, winged, smooth minutely reticulate, not mucilaginous when soaked, cotyledons usually incumbent, rarely accumbent.

Malcolmia species flowers are complete, bisexual, i.e., with functional male (androecium) and female (gynoecium), including stamens, carpels and ovary. Pollination is entomophilous i.e., by insects, or cleistogamy i.e., by self or allogamy i.e., by cross pollination. Flowering/Fruiting: January—June.

Seeds may be dispersed by autochory i.e., self dispersal, anemochory i.e., wind dispersal, zoochory i.e., dispersal by birds or animals, anthropochory i.e., dispersal by humans.

Annual herbs, usually pubescent with stiff forked trichomes, about 5-45 cm tall. Rootstocks slender, taproot. Stem erect, ascending, leafy, simple or usually branched, pubescent above with forked trichomes to simple ones, rarely glabrescent. Basal leaves simple, not in rosulate, withered early before flowering, oblanceolate-elliptic, about 2-9 x 1-3 cm across, base cuneate to attenuate, margin entire, dentate to pinnatifid, apex acute to obtuse, petiole about 0.5-3 cm long, cauline leaves gradually smaller, about 1-6 x 0.3-2.5 cm across, base not auriculate, margin entire to dentate, petiole about 0.5-2 cm long, uppermost cauline leaves sessile. Inflorescence racemes, 5 to 20 flowered, elongated in fruit, up to 10-15 cm long in fruit, lax, ebracteate. Flowers bisexual, yellow, pink, purple, white, pedicel erect or slightly curved, divaricate, stout, almost as thick as the fruit, ascending, about 0.5-2 mm long, sepals 4, ovate-oblong, persistent, lateral pair base not saccate, about 3-4 x 0.6 mm across, petals 4, obovate-oblanceolate, base cuneate, margins entire, apex obtuse, about 10 x 2 mm across, claw distinct. Stamens 6, tetradynamous, about 2.5-5 mm long, longer stamens connate in pairs, filaments free, anthers linear oblong, about 1 mm long, median glands absent. Ovary superior, bicarpellary, ovules 25-90. Fruit siliqua, dehiscent, linear cylindrical, terete, quadrangular, erect or slightly curved, latiseptate, about 35-80 x 1-1.5 mm across, vales tri-nerved, pubescent with short forked trichomes, somewhat rigid, replum rounded, septum complete, style obsolete, stigma bilobed. Seeds many, uniserate, oblong-ovoid, about 1 x 0.5 mm across, not mucilaginous when soaked, cotyledons usually incumbent.

Malcolmia species are susceptible to various insect pests, virus, mildews and moulds.

Cultivated fields, slopes and roadsides, altitude 700-3000 m.

Not evaluated (IUCN).

Laboratory studies show it is a good antioxidant and antibacterial.