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Blue Ridge bittercress

angle bitter-cress, angle-leaf bitter-cress, seaside bitter-cress

Habit Perennials; hirsute or pilose proximally, sparsely pubescent or glabrous distally. Perennials; glabrous or sparsely pubescent.
Rhizomes

swollen, compact at stem base, (fleshy, stolons many, slender, ca. 1 mm diam., pubescent or glabrous).

cylindrical, slender, to 2 mm diam.

Stems

erect, usually unbranched, rarely branched distally, 1–2.5 dm, sparsely to densely hirsute or pilose proximally, sparsely so or glabrous distally.

erect, unbranched, (1.5–)2.5–8.5(–10) dm, sparsely to densely hirsute at base.

Rhizomal leaves

usually simple, rarely 3-foliolate, (3–)6–16 cm, leaflets petiolulate or subsessile;

petiole (1.5–)4–13 cm;

lateral leaflets subsessile or petiolulate (to 0.5 cm), blade similar to terminal, much smaller;

terminal leaflet (petiolule 0.5–2 cm), blade orbicular to reniform or broadly ovate, (1–)1.5–4.5 cm, base cordate, margins repand to coarsely crenate, (apiculate at vein endings, surfaces sparsely pubescent or glabrous).

3 (or 5)-foliolate, (4–)7–20(–22) cm, leaflets petiolulate or subsessile;

petiole (2–)4–12(–14) cm;

lateral leaflets subsessile, blade similar to terminal, larger or smaller in size;

terminal leaflet petiolulate [(0.3–)0.5–1.5 cm], blade ovate to broadly lanceolate, 1.5–7(–9) cm, base usually cuneate, rarely subreniform or obtuse, margins 3–5(–7)-lobed or -toothed, surfaces puberulent.

Cauline leaves

2–5, 3 or 5-foliolate, petiolate, leaflets petiolulate or subsessile;

petiole 0.8–5 cm, base not auriculate;

lateral leaflets sessile or petiolulate (to 0.5 cm), blade similar to terminal, smaller;

terminal leaflet petiolulate (0.5–1.5 cm), blade broadly ovate to suborbicular, 1.5–4(–5) cm × 12–35 mm, margins repand to coarsely crenate or slightly lobed, (apiculate at vein endings, margins glabrous).

(3 or) 4–8, 3 (or 5)-foliolate, petiolate, leaflets petiolulate or sessile;

petiole 1–4 cm, base not auriculate;

lateral leaflets sessile, blade similar to terminal, smaller, margins usually dentate, rarely entire;

terminal leaflet sessile or petiolulate, blade broadly ovate to narrowly lanceolate, 2–7 cm × 6–40 mm, margins minutely pubescent.

Racemes

ebracteate.

ebracteate.

Flowers

sepals (ascending) oblong, 3–3.5 × 1–1.5 mm, lateral pair not saccate basally;

petals white, oblanceolate, 5–6.5(–8) × 1.5–2.5 mm, (not clawed, apex obtuse to subemarginate);

filaments: median pairs 3.5–5 mm, lateral pair 2.5–3 mm;

anthers oblong, 1.2–1.6 mm.

sepals oblong, 2.5–4 × 1.3–2 mm, lateral pair saccate basally;

petals usually white, rarely pinkish, obovate, 8–15 × 4–8 mm (clawed, apex rounded or emarginate);

filaments: median pairs 3.5–6 mm, lateral pair 2–3.5 mm;

anthers oblong, 0.8–1.2 mm.

Fruiting pedicels

ascending to divaricate-ascending, 7–20 mm.

ascending to divaricate, (9–)12–25 mm.

Fruits

linear, 1.5–2.5 cm × 1–1.2 mm;

ovules 10–14 per ovary;

style 1.2–2.5 mm.

linear, 1.5–3.2 cm × 1.4–2 mm;

ovules 10–16 per ovary;

style (0.5–)1–4 mm.

Seeds

brown, oblong, 1.2–1.7 × 0.8–1.1 mm.

dark brown, oblong, 1.8–2.3 × 1–1.2 mm.

2n

= 40.

Cardamine flagellifera

Cardamine angulata

Phenology Flowering Mar–Jun. Flowering Apr–Jun.
Habitat Moist wooded slopes, gorges, wooded ravines, seepage places Moist ground, stream banks, swampy or damp woods, thickets, wet meadows
Elevation 300-1000 m (1000-3300 ft) 0-900 m (0-3000 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
GA; NC; SC; TN; WV
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
AK; CA; OR; WA; BC
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Source FNA vol. 7, p. 474. FNA vol. 7, p. 467.
Parent taxa Brassicaceae > tribe Cardamineae > Cardamine Brassicaceae > tribe Cardamineae > Cardamine
Sibling taxa
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. 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. 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. 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
Synonyms C. flagellifera var. hugeri, C. hugeri C. angulata var. alba, C. angulata var. hirsuta, C. angulata var. pentaphylla, Dentaria grandiflora
Name authority O. E. Schulz: Bot. Jahrb. Syst. 32: 405. (1903) Hooker: Fl. Bor.-Amer. 1: 44. (1829)
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