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Nuttall's toothwort, slender toothwort

California toothwort, milkmaids

Habit Plants perennial, glabrous or pubescent; rhizomes slender, tuberous, segmented, producing fragile segments, ovoid, oblong, or cylindrical, 2–5 mm in diameter, nodes fleshy. Plants perennial, glabrous or rarely pubescent; rhizomes tuberous, segmented, fleshy, globose, ovoid, or suboblong, (3)4–18 mm in diameter.
Stems

erect, 0.5–2(3) dm; simple, bases above ground much wider than attachment to rhizome.

producing fragile segments; (2)2.7–6(7) dm, bases above ground much wider than attachment to rhizome.

Rhizomal leaves

simple or 3(5)-foliolate; (3)4–20(25) cm;

blades or terminal leaflets reniform, suborbicular; ovate, or oblong; (0.9)1.3–4(5.2) × (0.8)1.2–5(7) cm, often with purple spots, bases cordate to obtuse;

margins apiculate-dentate or 5–7-lobed.

3(5–7)-foliolate, sometimes simple, 8–25(38) cm;

blades or terminal leaflets ovate, orbicular, cordate, or reniform; (1.5)2.5–7.5(10) × (1.2)2–9(13) cm;

margins entire, dentate; to shallowly sinuate;

vein ends extend beyond margins;

lateral leaflets similar to terminal.

Cauline leaves

1–3, pinnately or palmately compound, 3(5)-foliolate, bases not auriculate;

terminal leaflets ovate, oblong, or linear; (0.5)1–3.5(6) cm;

lateral leaflets smaller; entire, dentate, or lobed.

2–5, pinnately or palmately compound, rarely simple, 3–5-foliolate;

terminal leaflets 1–7 × (0.5)1–4.7(6.5) cm.

Inflorescences

bracts 0, fruiting pedicels ascending to divaricate, 1–3.5 cm.

bracts 0, fruiting pedicels ascending to divaricate, 1–3.3(4.1) cm.

Flowers

sepals erect, oblong, 3.5–5 mm;

lateral pair saccate;

petals obovate, 10–15 × 4–7.5 mm, purple to pale pink, rarely white, not clawed;

tips rounded;

ovules 8–16 per ovary;

styles 4–8 mm.

sepals oblong, 3.5–4.5(5.5) mm;

lateral pair saccate;

petals obovate, 8–13(15) × 4–8 mm, white or pink, clawed;

tips rounded;

ovules 12–22 per ovary;

styles 2–5(6) mm.

Fruits

25–56 × 2–2.3 mm, glabrous.

22–54(60) × 2–3 mm, glabrous.

Seeds

oblong, 2–2.5 × 1.4–1.6 mm.

oblong to ovate, 1.7–2.8 × 1.2–1.8 mm.

2n

=32.

Cardamine nuttallii

Cardamine californica

Distribution
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Damp woods, shaded bottomlands and hillsides, mossy slopes, streamsides. Flowering Mar–Jul. 0–2000 m. Casc, Col, CR, ECas, Est, Sisk, WV. CA, WA; north to British Columbia. Native.

Forests, moist hillsides, shady rock crevices and slopes, wooded ravines, open woods, streambanks and bottoms, can­yons, cliffs. Flowering Mar–Jun. 0–2100 m. Casc, CR, Est, Sisk, WV. CA, WA; south to Mexico. Native.

Source Flora of Oregon, volume 2 draft
Ihsan Al-Shehbaz
Flora of Oregon, volume 2 draft
Ihsan Al-Shehbaz
Sibling taxa
C. angulata, C. bellidifolia, C. breweri, C. californica, C. cordifolia, C. flexuosa, C. hirsuta, C. holmgrenii, C. occidentalis, C. oligosperma, C. parviflora, C. pattersonii, C. penduliflora, C. pensylvanica
C. angulata, C. bellidifolia, C. breweri, C. cordifolia, C. flexuosa, C. hirsuta, C. holmgrenii, C. nuttallii, C. occidentalis, C. oligosperma, C. parviflora, C. pattersonii, C. penduliflora, C. pensylvanica
Synonyms Cardamine nuttallii var. covilleana, Cardamine nuttallii var. dissecta, Cardamine nuttallii var. gemmata, Cardamine nuttallii var. nuttallii, Cardamine pulcherrima, Cardamine pulcherrima var. pulcherrima, Cardamine pulcherrima var. tenella, Dentaria gemmata, Dentaria tenella, Dentaria tenella var. pulcherrima, Dentaria tenella var. quercetorum, Dentaria tenella var. tenella Cardamine californica var. californica, Cardamine californica var. integrifolia, Cardamine californica var. sinuata, Cardamine integrifolia, Cardamine integrifolia var. integrifolia, Cardamine integrifolia var. sinuata, Dentaria californica, Dentaria californica var. californica, Dentaria californica var. sinuata
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