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purple bittercress

Habit Perennials; usually glabrous throughout, rarely pilose. Perennials; (often cespitose); hirsute.
Rhizomes

cylindrical, slender, 0.7–1.5 mm diam.

vertical, 1–3 mm diam., (not fleshy).

Stems

erect or ascending, unbranched, 0.5–2(–2.5) dm.

(simple or few to several from base), usually erect, unbranched, (0.3–)0.5–1.2(–1.5) dm.

Basal leaves

sometimes rosulate, usually 3 or 5-foliolate, rarely simple, (1.5–)2.5–7 cm, leaflets petiolulate or sessile;

petiole (1.2–)2–5 cm;

lateral lobes or leaflets sessile, blade similar to terminal, distinctly smaller;

terminal lobe or leaflet petiolulate (0.05–0.6 cm), blade reniform or suborbicular to broadly ovate, 0.3–1 cm × 4–15 mm, base subcordate to rounded, margins entire, repand, or obscurely 2-toothed.

Rhizomal leaves

pinnately 5- or 7-foliolate, 2.5–12 cm (not fleshy), leaflets petiolulate;

petiole 1.5–4(–9) cm;

lateral leaflets similar to terminal, or smaller and margins usually toothed, rarely entire;

terminal leaflet (petiolule 0.15–0.3 cm) blade suborbicular to broadly obovate, 0.4–1.5 cm × 2.5–14 mm, base obtuse to subcordate, margins 3–5-toothed, (apiculate).

Cauline leaves

1–3, (3–)5-foliolate (alternate), petiolate, leaflets petiolulate or subsessile;

petiole 0.2–2(–6.5) cm, base not auriculate;

lateral leaflets similar to terminal;

terminal leaflet subsessile or petiolulate (to 0.2 cm), blade obovate to oblanceolate, 0.5–1.5 cm × 3–10 mm, base cuneate, margins 3-toothed or entire.

1–3, usually compound, rarely simple, petiolate, leaflets petiolulate or sessile;

petiole (0.2–)0.5–2 cm, base not auriculate;

similar to basal, smaller.

Racemes

ebracteate.

ebracteate.

Flowers

sepals oblong, 2–3.5 × 2–2.5 mm, lateral pair slightly saccate basally;

petals white, broadly obovate, 7–10 × 3–6 mm (clawed, apex rounded);

filaments: median pairs 3–4 mm, lateral pair 2–3 mm;

anthers oblong, 1–1.5 mm.

sepals oblong, 2–3(–4) × 1.4–1.7 mm, lateral pair not saccate basally;

petals usually purple to pink, rarely white, obovate, 5–7(–9) × 3–4(–5) mm, (clawed, apex rounded);

filaments: median pairs 2.5–3.5 mm, lateral pair 1.5–3.5 mm;

anthers oblong, 0.6–0.9 mm.

Fruiting pedicels

erect to ascending, 0.7–22 mm.

suberect, ascending, or divaricate, 5–12 mm, pubescent.

Fruits

linear, 1.6–4 cm × 1–1.3 mm;

ovules 14–24 per ovary;

style 0.7–3 mm.

linear, 1.5–2.5 cm × 1.5–1.8 mm;

ovules 10–14 per ovary;

style 1–2.5 mm.

Seeds

brown, oblong, ca. 1.5 × 1 mm.

brown, oblong to broadly ovoid, 1.7–2.1 × 1.4–1.7 mm.

2n

= 28, 42.

= 96.

Cardamine blaisdellii

Cardamine purpurea

Phenology Flowering Jul–Aug. Flowering Jun–Aug.
Habitat Moist streamsides, meadows, river gravel, mesic grounds, wet tundra, moist humus, scree slopes, calcareous fellfields Moist tundra, damp woods and ravines, alpine turf, river flats, peaty subarctic meadows, streamsides, moist slopes
Elevation 50-1000 m (200-3300 ft) 600-1800 m (2000-5900 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
AK; n Europe; e Europe (Russian Far East, Siberia)
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
AK; YT; e Asia (Russian Far East)
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Cardamine blaisdellii was treated by R. C. Rollins (1993) as a synonym of C. microphylla, but the morphological differences (see key) and molecular data (R. B. Jørgensen et al., 2008) clearly demonstrate that they are distinct.

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

Source FNA vol. 7, p. 468. FNA vol. 7, p. 483.
Parent taxa Brassicaceae > tribe Cardamineae > Cardamine Brassicaceae > tribe Cardamineae > Cardamine
Sibling taxa
C. angulata, C. angustata, C. bellidifolia, 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
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. rotundifolia, C. rupicola, C. umbellata
Synonyms C. microphylla subsp. blaisdellii, C. microphylla var. blaisdellii C. purpurea var. albiflora, C. purpurea var. albiflos, C. purpurea var. lactiflora
Name authority Eastwood: Bot. Gaz. 33: 146. (1902) Chamisso & Schlechtendal: Linnaea 1: 20. (1826)
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