Shepherd’s-purse

Capsella bursa-pastoris

In other languages: Herderstasje (Nederlands) · Capselle bourse-à-pasteur (Français)

Grows wild in Belgium.

Shepherd’s-purse is one of the most common wild plants in Belgium, and indeed in the world. This small annual or biennial of the cabbage family grows wherever there is bare soil: in fields, vegetable plots, between paving stones, along paths and on waste ground. You can recognise it by the tiny white four-petalled flowers and above all by the flat, triangular, heart-shaped seed pods, which look like an old-fashioned purse. It flowers almost all year round and seeds itself at great speed. Many gardeners see it as a weed, but early and late in the year it feeds small insects, and birds like its seeds.

Updated on 9 October 2026

Light
Sun or partial shade
preferably some sun
Moisture
Dry to normal
no wet feet
Hardiness
Fully hardy
down to -20 °C
Size
0.3 m
tall, 0.15 m wide
Flowering
February–November

Key facts
Height	0.3 m
Native to Belgium	Yes
Flowering	February–November

Identify

How to recognise it

Growth habit: Small annual or biennial, 5–40 cm, with a flat leaf rosette and one or more upright, sparsely leafy stems.
Leaves: Rosette leaves 5–10 cm and very variable: from almost untoothed to deeply cut like a dandelion. Stem leaves small and narrow, with an arrow-shaped base clasping the stem.
Flowers: White flowers of 2–3 mm with four petals in a cross, in a cluster that keeps lengthening as it flowers.
Fruit: Flat, triangular, heart-shaped pods of 5–8 mm on long stalks, holding small orange-brown seeds.
Roots: A thin white taproot; the plant is easy to pull up.
Look-alikes: Field penny-cress has larger, round, broadly winged pods and smells of garlic when crushed. Hairy bittercress has long, narrow pods and pinnate leaves. Without pods the rosette looks like a dandelion’s, but shepherd’s-purse has no milky sap.

Flowering: February–November

In your garden

Why grow it?

Flowers from February until late autumn: an early and late source of pollen and nectar for small bees, hoverflies and flies.
Its countless tiny seeds feed seed-eating birds such as sparrows and finches.
Quickly covers bare soil until other plants take over.
The young leaves are edible and are cooked or used as a filling in Asian cooking.
An ideal plant for teaching children to look closely: the purse-shaped pods are easy to recognise.

Shepherd’s-purse: where does it grow best?

In the wild: fields, vegetable plots, verges, paths, waste ground and any other spot with bare, disturbed soil.
Sun to half shade; in shade it stays small.
Grows on almost any soil, from dry sand to moist clay, but does best on fertile ground.
In a wildlife garden it belongs along a cornfield-style strip, beside a path or in a corner of bare soil.

Goes well with

Chickweed: Another early annual of bare soil; together they feed birds.
Red dead-nettle: Flowers at the same time early in the year and is good for bumblebees.
Common poppy: For a cornfield corner with bright colour in summer.
Cornflower: Blue next to the white; also a plant of open, cultivated soil.

Maintenance

Shepherd’s-purse: when and how to plant it?

No need to buy it: shepherd’s-purse nearly always turns up by itself. Do not dig up plants from the wild; just let them grow where they appear.
If you do want to sow it, collect ripe pods in summer from your own garden or along a path.
From March to September, scatter the seed thinly on bare, loosened soil and press it down lightly; barely cover it.
It germinates within a few days to weeks and can flower after about six weeks.
Watering is only needed during a long dry spell after sowing.

Care

Watering: Not needed; in drought it stays small but still flowers.
Feeding: Not needed.
Weeding: In the vegetable plot pull it up before it sets seed; that happens fast, so weed every two to three weeks.
Self-seeding: In a wild corner let it seed itself: you will have new plants for insects and birds every year.
Mulching: If you do not want it in a border, keep the soil covered with mulch or other plants: shepherd’s-purse mainly germinates on bare soil.

Tip: Leave a strip along the path in the vegetable plot alone: there shepherd’s-purse can flower for insects while you keep the beds themselves clean.

Pruning and mowing

When: Not needed. To limit self-seeding, pull plants up before the pods ripen.

How:

Pull up unwanted plants roots and all, ideally when the soil is moist.
Plants without ripe seed can go on the compost heap; plants with ripe seed are better put in the green waste bin.
In a wild corner let a few plants flower and set seed completely.

Pruning calendar and basic rules

Propagation

Seed: The only method. One plant produces thousands of seeds, which stay viable in the soil for years. Sow from March to September.

Shepherd’s-purse: how does it get through the winter?

Hardy to −20 °C.

Seedlings from late summer overwinter as small rosettes and flower early in spring.
In mild winters it sometimes simply keeps flowering.
Hardy to about −20 °C.

Diseases and pests

White blister: White, powdery pustules and distorted stems caused by a fungus-like organism that also attacks other members of the cabbage family. Pull up affected plants if they grow near brassicas.
Flea beetles: Tiny jumping beetles make small holes in the leaves; they also attack cabbages and radishes. So keep shepherd’s-purse in check near the vegetable plot.
Too many seedlings: Mulch and weed regularly in the vegetable plot; only let it grow where it is welcome.
Tiny plants: On dry, poor soil it sometimes only reaches 5 cm; that is normal and it still flowers.

Through the year

February: First flowers on overwintered rosettes.
March: Flowering. You can sow on bare soil.
April: Full flower; small bees and hoverflies.
May: First ripe pods. Weed the vegetable plot.
June: Collect seed.
July: A new generation flowers.
August: Weed before the seed ripens.
September: Last chance to sow; seedlings form rosettes.
October: Late plants in flower.
November: Last flowers; rosettes overwinter.
December: Rosettes at rest.

You and this species

Did you know?

The name refers to the pods, which resemble the small leather purses shepherds used to carry on their belts; the Latin name bursa-pastoris also means ‘shepherd’s purse’.
It is one of the most widespread plants in the world, found on almost every continent.
In China and Korea shepherd’s-purse is a valued vegetable, used among other things as a filling for dumplings.

More species from Europe · All species