Common Shepherd’s Purse

Common Shepherd’s Purse, Capsella bursa-pastoris

Small white flowers with 4 petals widely spaced in clusters at the top of the stems. The fruit is heart-shaped.



  • Scientific Name: Capsella bursa-pastoris

  • Other Names: Pepper Plant, Pick-pocket, Shepherd’s-Bag, Shepherd’s-Pouch, Shepherd’s Purse

  • Plant Height: 0.5 - 2 feet

  • Flower Size: 0.25 inch

  • Fun Facts: The heart-shaped seed pod looks like the leather purse that shepherds used to carry in the Middle Ages, giving the plant its common name.

  • Flower Color: White

  • Bloom Time: March, April, May, June

  • Petal: 4

  • Leaf: Alternate, Deeply Divided, Hairy, Toothed

  • Stem: Hairy

  • Environment: Dappled Sun, Part Shade, Sun

  • Location: Shiloh Greenway