or garden peppergrass (Lepidium sativum) an annual plant of the family Cruciferae. The stalk is 30-60 cm tall and profusely branched. The lower leaves are petiolar and either pinnately lobed or entire (depending on the variety); the upper ones are sessile and entire. The numerous flowers are white. The fruit is a small silicle.
Garden cress is an early ripening, cold-resistant plant. It is native to northeastern and southern Africa and Southwest Asia. It is cultivated in Western Europe, Asia (Afghanistan, Iran, Syria, India, China, and Japan), and Northern America (USA and Canada). In the USSR it is grown in Middle Asia, southern Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Georgia. The leaves contain mineral salts, vitamin C, carotene, iodine, and iron; they are used in salads and soups and as meat seasoning. Garden cress may be grown all year in open, protected ground.