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small mountain bittercress

hairy bitter-cress, shotweed

Habit Perennials; glabrous throughout. Annuals; sparsely hirsute basally (at least on petiole of basal leaves), often glabrous distally.
Rhizomes

cylindrical, slender, 1–3 mm diam.

absent.

Stems

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

erect, ascending, or decumbent, unbranched or branched basally and/or distally, (0.3–)1–3.5(–4.5) dm, (not flexuous).

Basal leaves

(persistent to anthesis), rosulate, (5–)8–15(–22)-foliolate, (2–)3.5–15(–17) cm, leaflets petiolulate;

petiole 0.5–5 cm, (ciliate);

lateral leaflet blade oblong, ovate, obovate, or orbicular, smaller than terminal, margins entire, repand, crenate, or 3-lobed;

terminal leaflet (petiolule 0.2–1 cm), blade reniform or orbicular, 0.4–2 cm × 6–30 mm, margins entire, repand, dentate, or 3 or 5-lobed.

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).

1–4(–6), compound as basal, petiolate, [(0.5–)1.2–5.5(–7) cm, including petiole], leaflets petiolulate;

blade base not auriculate;

leaflets similar to basal.

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, 1.5–2.5 × 0.3–0.7 mm, lateral pair not saccate;

petals (sometimes absent) white, spatulate, 2.5–4.5(–5) × 0.5–1.1 mm; (stamens usually 4, lateral pair often absent, rarely 5 or 6);

filaments 1.8–3 mm;

anthers ovate, 0.3–0.5 mm.

Fruiting pedicels

divaricate-ascending, (7–)10–17 mm.

erect to ascending, (2–)3–10(–14) 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, (torulose), (0.9–)1.5–2.5(–2.8) cm × (0.8–)1–1.4 mm, (often appressed to rachis);

ovules 14–40 per ovary;

style 0.1–0.6(–1) mm.

Seeds

brown, oblong, 1.7–2 × 1–1.2 mm.

light brown, oblong or subquadrate, 0.9–1.3(–1.5) × 0.6–0.9(–1.1) mm, (narrowly margined).

2n

= 16.

Cardamine clematitis

Cardamine hirsuta

Phenology Flowering May–Jun. Flowering Feb–Jul.
Habitat Wet areas, springs, moist slopes Roadsides, clearings, disturbed sites, slopes, cedar glades, mixed woods, meadows, fields, waste grounds, damp places, grassy areas
Elevation 1300-1800 m (4300-5900 ft) 0-700 m (0-2300 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
AL; FL; GA; NC; TN; VA
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
AL; AR; CA; CT; DC; DE; FL; GA; IL; KY; LA; MA; MD; MI; MO; MS; NC; NJ; NY; OH; OK; OR; PA; SC; TN; TX; UT; VA; WA; WV; BC; ON; w Eurasia [Introduced in North America; introduced also in Central America, South America, e Asia (Japan), South Africa, Australia]
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Herbarium specimens of Cardamine hirsuta have been misidentified as C. oligosperma.

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

Source FNA vol. 7, p. 470. FNA vol. 7, p. 475.
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. 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. 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
Name authority Shuttleworth ex A. Gray: Proc. Amer. Acad. Arts 15: 45. (1880) Linnaeus: Sp. Pl. 2: 655. (1753)
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