Cardamine clematitis
Cardamine flexuosa
small mountain bittercress
wavy bitter-cress, wood bitter-cress, woodland bitter-cress
cylindrical, slender, 1–3 mm diam.
absent.
erect, unbranched or rarely branched distally, (0.8–)1–2.5(–3.5) dm.
erect, ascending, or decumbent, branched or unbranched, (0.6–)1–5 dm, (slightly flexuous).
(often withered by anthesis), not rosulate, 5–15-foliolate, (2.7–)4–14(–19) cm, leaflets petiolulate;
petiole 0.7–5 cm, (ciliate or not);
lateral leaflet blade oblong, ovate, or elliptic, smaller than terminal, margins entire, repand, crenate, or 3 (or 5)-lobed;
terminal leaflet (petiolule 0.3–1.7 cm), blade reniform, broadly ovate, or suborbicular, 0.5–2.5 cm × 4–30 mm, margins repand, crenate, or 3 or 5-lobed.
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.
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).
3–15, 5–15-foliolate [leaves (2–)3.5–5.5(–7) cm, including petiole], petiolate, leaflets petiolulate;
petiole base not auriculate;
lateral leaflets similar to basal, (0.4–2.5 mm wide).
ebracteate.
ebracteate.
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, 1.5–2.5 × 0.7–1 mm, lateral pair not saccate basally;
petals white, spatulate, 2.5–4(–5) × 1–1.7 mm; (stamens rarely 4, lateral pair absent);
filaments 2–3 mm;
anthers ovate, 0.3–0.5 mm.
divaricate-ascending, (7–)10–17 mm.
divaricate or ascending, (5–)6–14(–17) mm.
linear, (1.5–)2–3.5(–4) cm × 1.3–1.7 mm;
ovules 10–16 per ovary;
style 2–4 mm.
linear, (torulose), (0.8–)1.2–2.8 cm × 1–1.5 mm;
ovules 18–40 per ovary;
style 0.3–1(–1.5) mm.
brown, oblong, 1.7–2 × 1–1.2 mm.
brown, oblong or subquadrate, 0.9–1.5 × 0.6–1 mm, (narrowly margined or not).
= 32.
Cardamine clematitis
Cardamine flexuosa
According to J. Lihová et al. (2006), the populations referred to Cardamine flexuosa in North America comprise two taxa of different polyploid origins and evolutionary histories: tetraploid C. flexuosa (2n = 32), native to Europe, and the octoploid taxon informally called “Asian C. flexuosa” (2n = 64), native to eastern Asia. For the latter, the name C. flexuosa subsp. debilis can be used. Nevertheless, these two taxa should be recognized at species level and the correct name for the Asian species should be sought. Based on available data, both taxa occupy the same habitats in North America, but the Asian taxon is much more widespread. The occurrence of European C. flexuosa was, until now, confirmed only for Washington, where both taxa have been recorded. More detailed studies of the North American distributions of both these weeds are needed.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
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