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bulb bittercress, bulbous bitter-cress, spring cress

Blue Ridge bittercress

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

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

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

Stems

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

erect, usually unbranched, rarely branched distally, 1–2.5 dm, sparsely to densely hirsute or pilose proximally, sparsely so or glabrous distally.

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.

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).

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).

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).

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 (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.

Fruiting pedicels

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

ascending to divaricate-ascending, 7–20 mm.

Fruits

linear, 2–3.5(–4) cm × 1.4–1.7 mm;

ovules 14–24 per ovary;

style 2–4(–5) mm.

linear, 1.5–2.5 cm × 1–1.2 mm;

ovules 10–14 per ovary;

style 1.2–2.5 mm.

Seeds

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

brown, oblong, 1.2–1.7 × 0.8–1.1 mm.

2n

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

Cardamine bulbosa

Cardamine flagellifera

Phenology Flowering Mar–Jun. Flowering Mar–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 wooded slopes, gorges, wooded ravines, seepage places
Elevation 0-900 m (0-3000 ft) 300-1000 m (1000-3300 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
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
GA; NC; SC; TN; WV
[BONAP county map]
Source FNA vol. 7, p. 469. FNA vol. 7, p. 474.
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. 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
Synonyms Arabis bulbosa, Arabis rhomboidea, C. rhomboidea, C. rhomboidea var. hirsuta, C. rhomboidea var. parviflora, C. rhomboidea var. pilosa, Dentaria rhomboidea, Dracamine bulbosa C. flagellifera var. hugeri, C. hugeri
Name authority (Schreber ex Muhlenberg) Britton: Prelim. Cat., 4. (1888) O. E. Schulz: Bot. Jahrb. Syst. 32: 405. (1903)
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