shepherd's purse

Alluding to the shape of its seed vessel. Compare mediaeval Latin bursa pastoris, French bourse-à-berger, German Hirtentasche.

shepherd's purse (uncountable)

1. An edible weed, Capsella bursa-pastoris, family Brassicaceae, native to Europe but now found world-wide.

   Synonym: shepherd's pouch

   • 1612, Michael Drayton, Poly-Olbion, song 13 p. 218:

     To him that hath a flux, of Sheepheards purse he gives

   • 1979, Angela Carter, “The Erl-King”, in The Bloody Chamber, Vintage 2006, page 98:

     Stewed nettles; savoury messes of chickweed sprinkled with nutmeg; he cooks the foliage of shepherd's purse as if it were cabbage.

• shepherd's purse on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
• Capsella bursa-pastoris on Wikispecies.Wikispecies
• Capsella bursa-pastoris on Wikimedia Commons.Wikimedia Commons