This annual plant with a southern European distribution is present in all regions of Italy except in the Valle d'Aosta (erroneously reported from Trentino-Alto Adige and Calabria). It grows in ruderal vegetation subject to trampling, on sidewalks, along roadsides, in cobbled squares, on primitive to silty-clayey, rather humic and fresh soils that are rich in nitrogen compounds, from sea level to about 1000 m. The species is sporadic in the intermediate and outer belts of the temporary ponds of Sardinia. The leaves are edible, both raw and cooked. The genus name derives from the Greek 'lepidion' (small scale), for the shape of the fruit; the species name means 'paw of crow', for the shape of the leaves. Flowering period: March to June.

Italian name(s): Coronopo squamato (Italia), Erba-stella (Italia), Lappolina gramignola (Italia).