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Brewer's bitter-cress, round bittercress

small-leaf bittercress

Habit Perennials; usually glabrous, rarely sparsely pubescent basally. Perennials; usually glabrous, rarely sparsely hirtellous.
Rhizomes

cylindrical, slender (rarely slightly thickened at stem base), 1–3(–4) mm diam.

cylindrical, slender, 0.7–1.5 mm diam.

Stems

erect or decumbent basally, unbranched or branched, (0.6–)1.5–6(–7) dm.

erect or ascending, unbranched, 0.3–1.5(–2) dm.

Rhizomal leaves

absent.

pinnately 5 or 7-foliolate, (1.3–)2.5–6.5 cm, (not fleshy), leaflets petiolulate;

petiole (0.5–)1.5–5.5 cm;

lateral leaflets similar to terminal, blade sometimes smaller;

terminal leaflet (petiolule 0.15–0.7 cm), blade ovate to elliptic, (0.2–)0.4–1.2(–1.5) cm × (1–)2.5–6 mm, base cuneate to obtuse, margins entire, (apiculate).

Cauline leaves

3–8(–11), 3 or 5-foliolate (rarely only terminal leaflet present), petiolate, leaflets petiolulate or subsessile;

petiole (0.7–)1–4(–6) cm, base not auriculate;

lateral leaflets (when present) subsessile or petiolulate (to 0.4 cm), blade similar to terminal, often much smaller and narrower than terminal;

terminal leaflet (petiolule 0.4–1.6 cm), blade usually ovate to orbicular, rarely subcordate, 1.5–4(–5) cm × 15–35(–50) mm, base truncate, rounded, or cordate, margins crenate, dentate, sinuate, or to 11-lobed.

1–3, 5 or 7-foliolate, petiolate, leaflets petiolulate or subsessile;

petiole 0.2–1.5 cm, base not auriculate;

lateral leaflets similar to terminal;

terminal leaflet (subsessile or petiolule to 0.2 cm), blade ovate to elliptic, 0.6–1.3 × 0.1–0.7 cm, base cuneate, margins entire.

Racemes

ebracteate.

ebracteate.

Flowers

sepals oblong, 2–3(–3.8) × 1–1.5 mm, lateral pair not saccate basally;

petals white, oblanceolate, 3.5–6(–7) × 1.5–2.5(–3) mm (not clawed, apex rounded or ± emarginate);

filaments: median pairs 2.5–3.5 mm, lateral pair 2–2.5 mm;

anthers oblong, 0.7–1 mm.

sepals ovate to oblong, 3–4 × 1.8–2.5 mm, lateral pair slightly saccate basally;

petals usually white, rarely lavender, broadly obovate, 7–10 × 3–6 mm, (clawed, apex rounded);

filaments: median pairs 3–4.5 mm, lateral pair 2–3 mm;

anthers oblong, 1–1.5 mm.

Fruiting pedicels

ascending to divaricate-ascending, (7–)10–20 mm.

erect to ascending, 7–15(–25) mm.

Fruits

linear, 1.5–3.5 cm × 1–1.5 mm;

ovules 14–28 per ovary;

style 0.2–1.5(–2.5) mm.

linear, 2–3 cm × 1.2–1.7 mm;

ovules 12–16 per ovary;

style 1–2 mm.

Seeds

brown, oblong, 1–1.6 × 0.9–1.1 mm.

brown, oblong, ca. 1.5 × 1 mm.

2n

= 28, 42, 64.

Cardamine breweri

Cardamine microphylla

Phenology Flowering Jun–Jul. Flowering Jul–Aug.
Habitat Stream banks, seepage, lakeshores, creeks, wet meadows, swamps, ponds Streamsides, sand and cobbles on gravel bars, shale banks, floodplains, alluvial sand between cobbles, moist moss, turf, seepage areas, meadows, wet grounds
Elevation 1200-3000 m (3900-9800 ft) 0-1600 m (0-5200 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
CA; CO; ID; MT; NV; OR; UT; WA; WY; BC
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
AK; NT; YT; e Asia (Russian Far East, Siberia)
[BONAP county map]
Source FNA vol. 7, p. 469. FNA vol. 7, p. 477.
Parent taxa Brassicaceae > tribe Cardamineae > Cardamine Brassicaceae > tribe Cardamineae > Cardamine
Sibling taxa
C. angulata, C. angustata, C. bellidifolia, C. blaisdellii, C. bulbosa, C. californica, C. clematitis, C. concatenata, C. constancei, C. cordifolia, C. digitata, C. diphylla, C. dissecta, C. douglassii, C. flagellifera, C. flexuosa, C. hirsuta, C. holmgrenii, C. impatiens, C. longii, C. macrocarpa, C. maxima, C. micranthera, C. microphylla, C. nuttallii, C. nymanii, C. occidentalis, C. oligosperma, C. pachystigma, C. parviflora, C. pattersonii, C. penduliflora, C. pensylvanica, C. pratensis, C. purpurea, C. rotundifolia, C. rupicola, C. umbellata
C. angulata, C. angustata, C. bellidifolia, C. blaisdellii, C. breweri, C. bulbosa, C. californica, C. clematitis, C. concatenata, C. constancei, C. cordifolia, C. digitata, C. diphylla, C. dissecta, C. douglassii, C. flagellifera, C. flexuosa, C. hirsuta, C. holmgrenii, C. impatiens, C. longii, C. macrocarpa, C. maxima, C. micranthera, C. nuttallii, C. nymanii, C. occidentalis, C. oligosperma, C. pachystigma, C. parviflora, C. pattersonii, C. penduliflora, C. pensylvanica, C. pratensis, C. purpurea, C. rotundifolia, C. rupicola, C. umbellata
Synonyms C. breweri var. leibergii, C. breweri var. orbicularis, C. breweri var. oregana, C. callosicrenata, C. foliacea, C. hederifolia, C. leibergii, C. modocensis, C. orbicularis, C. oregana, C. vallicola, C. vallicola subsp. leibergii C. minuta
Name authority S. Watson: Proc. Amer. Acad. Arts 10: 339. (1875) Adams: Mém. Soc. Imp. Naturalistes Moscou 5: 111. (1817)
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