Cardamine flagellifera |
Cardamine pratensis |
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Blue Ridge bittercress |
Brewer's bitter-cress, cuckoo bitter-cress, cuckoo flower, European field bitter-cress, lady's-smock, meadow bittercress, pink cuckoo bitter-cress |
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Habit | Perennials; hirsute or pilose proximally, sparsely pubescent or glabrous distally. | Perennials; usually glabrous, rarely sparsely pilose basally. |
Rhizomes | swollen, compact at stem base, (fleshy, stolons many, slender, ca. 1 mm diam., pubescent or glabrous). |
cylindrical, (not fragile), relatively short, (not fleshy). |
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, (0.8–)1.5–5.5(–8) dm. |
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). |
simple or 5–9(–31)-foliolate, to 30 cm, (thin, veins raised), leaflets petiolulate or sessile; petiole (1–)2–7(–10) cm; lateral leaflets petiolulate or sessile, blade similar to terminal or smaller, orbicular, ovate, or obovate, margins crenate or repand; terminal leaflet (petiolule to 1.5 cm), blade orbicular or broadly obovate, 0.3–2 cm diam., base usually rounded, rarely subreniform or cuneate, margins repand, (apex rounded). |
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). |
2–12(–18), pinnatisect, petiolate, leaflets petiolulate or sessile, (2–17 cm including petiole, thin, veins raised); petiole base not auriculate; lobes or leaflets (4–7(–13) each side of rachis), petiolulate or sessile and decurrent, blade similar to terminal lobe or leaflet, margins usually entire, rarely dentate; terminal lobe or leaflet (petiolulate or sessile), blade linear, oblong, ovate, or lanceolate, 1–2.5(–3.5) cm × 5–8(–10) mm, (surfaces glabrous). |
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 (erect or spreading), oblong or ovate, (2.5–)3–5(–6) × 1–2 mm, lateral pair saccate basally; petals usually purple or lilac, rarely white, obovate, (6–)8–15(–18) × 3–7.5(–10) mm, (clawed, apex rounded or emarginate); filaments: median pairs 5–10 mm, lateral pair 3–6 mm; anthers narrowly oblong, (0.8–)1.2–2 mm. |
Fruiting pedicels | ascending to divaricate-ascending, 7–20 mm. |
erect-ascending or subdivaricate, (5–)12–25(–30) mm. |
Fruits | linear, 1.5–2.5 cm × 1–1.2 mm; ovules 10–14 per ovary; style 1.2–2.5 mm. |
linear, (1.6–)2.5–4.5(–5) cm × (1.2–)1.5–2.3 mm; ovules 20–30 per ovary; style (0.5–)1–2.2(–2.7) mm, (stout). |
Seeds | brown, oblong, 1.2–1.7 × 0.8–1.1 mm. |
light brown, oblong, 1.2–1.8(–2) × 1–1.4 mm. |
2n | = 16. |
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Cardamine flagellifera |
Cardamine pratensis |
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Phenology | Flowering Mar–Jun. | Flowering May–Aug. |
Habitat | Moist wooded slopes, gorges, wooded ravines, seepage places | Moist grounds, stream sides, limestone shores, sedge and grass meadows, marshy pond margins, mossy areas, wet hollows, boggy areas, turfy shores, damp creek banks, swamps, brooks and ditches, moist ravines, springy swales |
Elevation | 300-1000 m (1000-3300 ft) | 0-1000 m (0-3300 ft) |
Distribution |
GA; NC; SC; TN; WV |
CT; IN; MA; ME; MI; NH; NJ; NY; OH; PA; VT; BC; NB; NF; NS; ON; QC; Eurasia
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Discussion | The taxonomy of Cardamine pratensis in North America requires further detailed study. Most, if not all, populations of this species were introduced from Europe. Some specimens resemble the European C. dentata Schultes (high polyploid, characterized by all leaves, including distalmost, pinnate with petiolate and sometimes deciduous leaflets) and these populations might be native. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
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Source | FNA vol. 7, p. 474. | FNA vol. 7, p. 482. |
Parent taxa | ||
Sibling taxa | ||
Synonyms | C. flagellifera var. hugeri, C. hugeri | Dracamine pratensis |
Name authority | O. E. Schulz: Bot. Jahrb. Syst. 32: 405. (1903) | Linnaeus: Sp. Pl. 2: 656. (1753) |
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