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small mountain bittercress

alpine bitter-cress

Habit Perennials; glabrous throughout. Perennials (somewhat cespitose, subscapose); glabrous throughout.
Rhizomes

cylindrical, slender, 1–3 mm diam.

absent (caudex usually with slender, rarely stout, rhizomelike branches).

Stems

erect, unbranched or rarely branched distally, (0.8–)1–2.5(–3.5) dm.

erect to ascending, branched (several), 0.1–0.8(–1.4) dm, glabrous.

Basal leaves

rosulate, simple, (0.6–)1.2–5(–7) cm;

petiole (3–)1–3.5(–5.5) cm;

blade usually ovate to oblong, rarely oblanceolate to obovate, (0.4–)0.8–1.7(–2.5) cm × (2–)5–10(–16) mm, base cuneate to obtuse, margins usually entire, rarely repand or obtusely small-toothed (apex obtuse).

Rhizomal leaves

simple or 3-foliolate, (1.5–)3–8 cm, leaflets petiolulate or subsessile;

petiole (1–)2–6 cm;

lateral leaflets subsessile, blade similar to terminal, much smaller;

terminal leaflet petiolulate (to 1 cm), blade reniform to cordate, (0.5–)1–2 cm, base cordate, margins entire or 3-lobed.

Cauline leaves

3–7, 3-foliolate (or distalmost simple), petiolate, leaflets petiolulate or sessile;

petiole 0.7–3.5 cm, base auriculate (auricle 0.7–5 mm);

lateral leaflets sessile or petiolulate (to 0.5 cm), blade oblong to ovate or oblong;

terminal leaflet (petiolule 0.5–1 cm), blade broadly ovate to suborbicular or reniform, 1.5–4 cm × 15–35 mm, margins often 3 or 5-lobed (lobe apex minutely apiculate, glabrous on margin).

0 or 1 (or 2), simple, shortly petiolate;

petiole base not auriculate;

blade similar to basal leaves, much smaller.

Racemes

ebracteate.

ebracteate.

Flowers

sepals oblong, 2.5–3 × 1–1.5 mm, lateral pair not saccate basally;

petals white, oblanceolate, 6–8 × 2–3 mm (not clawed, apex obtuse to subemarginate);

filaments: median pairs 3.5–4 mm, lateral pair 2–2.5 mm;

anthers ovate, ca. 0.7 mm.

sepals oblong, 2–3(–4) × 0.8–1.5(–2) mm, lateral pair not saccate basally;

petals white, oblanceolate, 4–5.5(–7) × 1.3–2(–2.5) mm (not clawed, apex rounded or emarginate);

filaments: median pairs 2.5–4 mm, lateral pair 2–3 mm;

anthers oblong, 0.5–0.9 mm.

Fruiting pedicels

divaricate-ascending, (7–)10–17 mm.

ascending to erect, 3–6(–8) mm.

Fruits

linear, (1.5–)2–3.5(–4) cm × 1.3–1.7 mm;

ovules 10–16 per ovary;

style 2–4 mm.

linear, (0.8–)1.3–2.8(–3.7) cm × 1.3–2 mm;

ovules 8–18 per ovary;

style 0.5–3 mm.

Seeds

brown, oblong, 1.7–2 × 1–1.2 mm.

brown, oblong, 1.5–2 × 0.9–1.2 mm.

2n

= 16.

Cardamine clematitis

Cardamine bellidifolia

Phenology Flowering May–Jun. Flowering Jun–Sep.
Habitat Wet areas, springs, moist slopes Mossy areas, tundra, marshes at stream headwaters, cliffs, talus slopes, barren chert slopes, moist rock crevices, rocky slopes, alpine streams, sandy beaches, moist rocky streambeds
Elevation 1300-1800 m (4300-5900 ft) 0-2300 m (0-7500 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
AL; FL; GA; NC; TN; VA
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
AK; CA; ME; NH; OR; WA; AB; BC; LB; NT; NU; QC; YT; Greenland; n Europe; Asia (Russian Far East, Siberia)
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Source FNA vol. 7, p. 470. FNA vol. 7, p. 468.
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. 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. 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. rotundifolia, C. rupicola, C. umbellata
Synonyms C. bellidifolia var. beringensis, C. bellidifolia var. laxa, C. bellidifolia var. pachyphylla, C. bellidifolia var. pinnatifida
Name authority Shuttleworth ex A. Gray: Proc. Amer. Acad. Arts 15: 45. (1880) Linnaeus: Sp. Pl. 2: 654. (1753)
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