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American bittercress, mountain watercress

narrow-leaf bitter-cress, sand bitter-cress, small-flower bitter-cress

Habit Perennials; glabrous throughout. Annuals; (slender); glabrous or sparsely to densely pubescent throughout.
Rhizomes

slender, to 2 mm diam.

absent.

Stems

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

(simple or few to several from base), erect, (somewhat flexuous), often branched distally, (0.5–)1–3(–4) dm.

Basal leaves

(soon withered), not rosulate.

(often withered by anthesis), usually not rosulate, pinnately (5 or) 7–13(–17)-foliolate, (2–)4–10cm, leaflets sessile or petiolulate;

petiole 0.5–2.5(–4.5) cm;

lateral leaflets similar to terminal, sometimes smaller;

terminal leaflet (sessile or petiolule to 0.5 cm), blade linear to oblong, oblanceolate to obovate, or suborbicular, (0.1–)0.3–1 cm × 1–7 mm, base cuneate, margins entire or 3(–5)-toothed or -lobed.

Rhizomal leaves

absent.

Cauline leaves

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).

5–10(–14), (5–)9–15(–17)-foliolate, petiolate, leaflets sessile;

petiole 0.3–1 cm, base not auriculate;

lateral leaflets similar to terminal, sometimes smaller;

terminal leaflet blade filiform, linear, or narrowly oblong, 0.3–1(–1.6) cm × 0.3–3 mm, margins usually entire, rarely 1–3-toothed.

Racemes

ebracteate.

ebracteate.

Flowers

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.

sepals oblong, 1–1.5(–2) × 0.3–0.5 mm, lateral pair not saccate basally, (margins membranous);

petals white, oblanceolate, (1.5–)1.8–2.5(–3) × 0.4–0.8(–1) mm;

filaments 1.4–2.5 mm;

anthers ovate, 0.2–0.4 mm.

Fruiting pedicels

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

divaricate or ascending, 4–10 mm.

Fruits

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

ovules 40–80 per ovary;

style 1.5–2.5 mm.

linear, (torulose), (0.5–)1–2(–2.5) cm × 0.6–0.9 mm;

ovules 20–50 per ovary;

style 0.3–0.7(–1) mm.

Seeds

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

pale brown, oblong-ovoid, 0.6–0.9 × 0.4–0.6 mm, (narrowly margined or not).

2n

= 16.

Cardamine rotundifolia

Cardamine parviflora

Phenology Flowering Apr–Jun. Flowering Mar–Jun.
Habitat Stream banks, swamps, low woodland, wet rocky areas, seepage areas Roadsides, stream banks, rocky crests and outcrops, crevices of granitic bedrock, dry woods, glades, fallow fields, disturbed ground, limestone barrens, marsh and swamp margins, floodplains, waste ground, slopes, ledges, cliffs, meadows
Elevation 150-400 m (500-1300 ft) 0-1500 m (0-4900 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
DE; GA; KY; MD; NC; NJ; NY; OH; PA; TN; VA; WV
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
AL; AR; CT; DC; DE; FL; GA; IA; ID; IL; IN; KS; KY; LA; MA; MD; ME; MI; MN; MO; NC; NH; NJ; NY; OH; OK; OR; PA; RI; SC; TN; TX; VA; VT; WI; WV; AB; BC; MB; NB; NF; NT; ON; QC; SK; Eurasia
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Within Cardamine parviflora, in the broad sense, two species or varieties have been recognized: the Eurasian C. parviflora (or C. parviflora var. parviflora) versus the North American C. arenicola (or C. parviflora var. arenicola). Nuclear DNA data suggested a sister relationship of the North American and Eurasian entities, while cpDNA data showed them intermingled (J. Lihová et al. 2006). There are no apparent morphological differences between these entities, although detailed morphological studies are still lacking. We currently prefer to treat them as a single taxon.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

Source FNA vol. 7, p. 483. FNA vol. 7, p. 480.
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. 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
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. pattersonii, C. penduliflora, C. pensylvanica, C. pratensis, C. purpurea, C. rotundifolia, C. rupicola, C. umbellata
Synonyms Dentaria rotundifolia C. arenicola, C. flexuosa var. gracilis, C. parviflora var. arenicola
Name authority Michaux: Fl. Bor.-Amer. 2: 30. (1803) Linnaeus: Syst. Nat. ed. 10, 2: 1131. (1759)
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