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Blue Ridge bittercress

American bittercress, mountain watercress

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

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

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.

usually procumbent, sometimes erect, (not flexuous), unbranched or branched, (1–)1.5–3(–5) dm.

Basal leaves

(soon withered), not rosulate.

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).

absent.

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).

simple, petiolate;

petiole (0.3–)0.5–2.5(–4) cm, base not auriculate;

blade oblong, ovate, suborbicular, or cordate, (0.5–)1–4.5(–5.5) cm × (5–)10–40(–54) mm, base cordate, rounded, or truncate, margins entire, repand, or sinuate, (distally with shorter petiole, blade smaller).

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, 2–3 × 1–1.7 mm, lateral pair not saccate basally;

petals white, broadly oblanceolate, spreading, 5–7(–8) × 2–3 mm, (not clawed, apex rounded);

filaments: median pairs 3.5–4.5 mm, lateral pair 2.7–3.5 mm;

anthers oblong, 0.8–1.2 mm.

Fruiting pedicels

ascending to divaricate-ascending, 7–20 mm.

divaricate to ascending, (6–)10–15(–20) mm.

Fruits

linear, 1.5–2.5 cm × 1–1.2 mm;

ovules 10–14 per ovary;

style 1.2–2.5 mm.

linear, (torulose), 1–1.5(–2) cm × 0.8–1.1 mm;

ovules 40–80 per ovary;

style 1.5–2.5 mm.

Seeds

brown, oblong, 1.2–1.7 × 0.8–1.1 mm.

brown, oblong to ovoid, 0.9–1.1 × 0.5–0.6 mm.

Cardamine flagellifera

Cardamine rotundifolia

Phenology Flowering Mar–Jun. Flowering Apr–Jun.
Habitat Moist wooded slopes, gorges, wooded ravines, seepage places Stream banks, swamps, low woodland, wet rocky areas, seepage areas
Elevation 300-1000 m (1000-3300 ft) 150-400 m (500-1300 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
GA; NC; SC; TN; WV
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
DE; GA; KY; MD; NC; NJ; NY; OH; PA; TN; VA; WV
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Source FNA vol. 7, p. 474. FNA vol. 7, p. 483.
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. 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. microphylla, C. nuttallii, C. nymanii, C. occidentalis, C. oligosperma, C. pachystigma, C. parviflora, C. pattersonii, C. penduliflora, C. pensylvanica, C. pratensis, C. purpurea, C. rupicola, C. umbellata
Synonyms C. flagellifera var. hugeri, C. hugeri Dentaria rotundifolia
Name authority O. E. Schulz: Bot. Jahrb. Syst. 32: 405. (1903) Michaux: Fl. Bor.-Amer. 2: 30. (1803)
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