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bulb bittercress, bulbous bitter-cress, spring cress

Constance's bittercress

Habit Perennials; glabrous or sparsely pubescent distally. Perennials; glabrous or sparsely hirsute.
Rhizomes

(tuberous at stem base, sometimes also at intervals) subglobose, lobed, 4–15 mm diam. (fleshy).

cylindrical, slender, to 2 mm diam.

Stems

erect, unbranched, (1–)2–6 dm, glabrous or sparsely pubescent on distal 1/2 (trichomes 0.02–0.1 mm).

erect, unbranched, 1.5–5 dm, glabrous or sparsely hirsute basally.

Rhizomal leaves

simple, (2–)4–13(–16) cm;

petiole (1.5–)2.5–10(–13) cm;

blade usually reniform to cordate or ovate, rarely oblong, (1–)2–4(–6) cm, base obtuse to cordate, margins usually repand or entire, rarely shallowly dentate.

absent.

Cauline leaves

(2–)4–10(–14), simple, petiolate or sessile; (middle ones) shortly petiolate or (distally) sessile, base not auriculate;

blade ovate to oblong, or oblong-linear to lanceolate, 3–6(–9) cm × 10–30(–45) mm, margins entire, repand, or dentate (margins minutely pubescent).

4–7, simple, (crowded distally), petiolate;

petiole (0.5–)1–4(–5) cm, base not auriculate;

blade usually broadly ovate or ovate-lanceolate to ovate-elliptic, rarely obovate, 5–13 cm × 20–65 mm, base cuneate, margins coarsely serrate (with apiculae), or repand to undulate (margins minutely pubescent, apex acute).

Racemes

ebracteate.

ebracteate.

Flowers

sepals oblong, 2.5–4.5 × 1.5–2 mm, lateral pair not saccate basally, (glabrous);

petals usually white, rarely pale pink, obovate, (6–)7–12(–16) × 3–5 mm, (short-clawed, apex rounded);

filaments: median pairs 4.5–7 mm, lateral pair 2–3.5 mm;

anthers oblong, 1–1.5 mm.

sepals oblong, 6–8 × 2–2.5 mm, lateral pair slightly saccate basally;

petals pink, oblanceolate, 15–28 × 5–8 mm, (claw to 10 mm, apex rounded);

filaments: median pairs 8–10 mm, lateral pair 4–6 mm;

anthers linear, 2–3 mm.

Fruiting pedicels

ascending to divaricate, (10–)15–22(–30) mm.

divaricate-ascending to suberect, 10–22 mm.

Fruits

linear, 2–3.5(–4) cm × 1.4–1.7 mm;

ovules 14–24 per ovary;

style 2–4(–5) mm.

linear, 2.5–3.5(–5) cm × 1.9–2.1 mm;

ovules 12–16 per ovary;

style 2–3.5 mm.

Seeds

dark orange to greenish yellow, oblong or globose, 1.7–2.1 × 1–1.4 mm.

brown, oblong, 2–2.5 × 1.2–1.5 mm.

2n

= 16, 56, 64, 80, 96, 112.

Cardamine bulbosa

Cardamine constancei

Phenology Flowering Mar–Jun. Flowering May–Jun.
Habitat Wet grounds, low woodland, moss hummocks, alluvial woods, grassy floodplains, wet pastures, meadows, pinelands, creek bottoms, stream banks, sandy bottoms, ditches, mesic or wet forests, swamps, marshes, seepy bluffs Moist cliffs, wooded creek bottoms, shaded draws, hillsides, moist woods, mixed coniferous forests, granitic soils
Elevation 0-900 m (0-3000 ft) 400-600 m (1300-2000 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
AL; AR; CT; DC; DE; FL; GA; IA; IL; IN; KS; KY; LA; MA; MD; ME; MI; MN; MO; MS; NC; NE; NH; NJ; NY; OH; OK; PA; SC; SD; TN; TX; VA; VT; WI; WV; MB; ON; QC
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from FNA
ID
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Discussion

Cardamine constancei is known from Clearwater, Idaho, Kootenai, Nez Perce, and Shoshone counties.

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

Source FNA vol. 7, p. 469. FNA vol. 7, p. 471.
Parent taxa Brassicaceae > tribe Cardamineae > Cardamine Brassicaceae > tribe Cardamineae > Cardamine
Sibling taxa
C. angulata, C. angustata, C. bellidifolia, C. blaisdellii, C. breweri, 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. 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
Synonyms Arabis bulbosa, Arabis rhomboidea, C. rhomboidea, C. rhomboidea var. hirsuta, C. rhomboidea var. parviflora, C. rhomboidea var. pilosa, Dentaria rhomboidea, Dracamine bulbosa
Name authority (Schreber ex Muhlenberg) Britton: Prelim. Cat., 4. (1888) Detling: Madroño 3: 176, plate 9. (1935)
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