Cardamine clematitis |
Cardamine pratensis |
|
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small mountain bittercress |
Brewer's bitter-cress, cuckoo bitter-cress, cuckoo flower, European field bitter-cress, lady's-smock, meadow bittercress, pink cuckoo bitter-cress |
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Habit | Perennials; glabrous throughout. | Perennials; usually glabrous, rarely sparsely pilose basally. |
Rhizomes | cylindrical, slender, 1–3 mm diam. |
cylindrical, (not fragile), relatively short, (not fleshy). |
Stems | erect, unbranched or rarely branched distally, (0.8–)1–2.5(–3.5) dm. |
erect, unbranched, (0.8–)1.5–5.5(–8) dm. |
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. |
simple or 5–9(–31)-foliolate, to 30 cm, (thin, veins raised), leaflets petiolulate or sessile; petiole (1–)2–7(–10) cm; lateral leaflets petiolulate or sessile, blade similar to terminal or smaller, orbicular, ovate, or obovate, margins crenate or repand; terminal leaflet (petiolule to 1.5 cm), blade orbicular or broadly obovate, 0.3–2 cm diam., base usually rounded, rarely subreniform or cuneate, margins repand, (apex rounded). |
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). |
2–12(–18), pinnatisect, petiolate, leaflets petiolulate or sessile, (2–17 cm including petiole, thin, veins raised); petiole base not auriculate; lobes or leaflets (4–7(–13) each side of rachis), petiolulate or sessile and decurrent, blade similar to terminal lobe or leaflet, margins usually entire, rarely dentate; terminal lobe or leaflet (petiolulate or sessile), blade linear, oblong, ovate, or lanceolate, 1–2.5(–3.5) cm × 5–8(–10) mm, (surfaces glabrous). |
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 (erect or spreading), oblong or ovate, (2.5–)3–5(–6) × 1–2 mm, lateral pair saccate basally; petals usually purple or lilac, rarely white, obovate, (6–)8–15(–18) × 3–7.5(–10) mm, (clawed, apex rounded or emarginate); filaments: median pairs 5–10 mm, lateral pair 3–6 mm; anthers narrowly oblong, (0.8–)1.2–2 mm. |
Fruiting pedicels | divaricate-ascending, (7–)10–17 mm. |
erect-ascending or subdivaricate, (5–)12–25(–30) 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, (1.6–)2.5–4.5(–5) cm × (1.2–)1.5–2.3 mm; ovules 20–30 per ovary; style (0.5–)1–2.2(–2.7) mm, (stout). |
Seeds | brown, oblong, 1.7–2 × 1–1.2 mm. |
light brown, oblong, 1.2–1.8(–2) × 1–1.4 mm. |
2n | = 16. |
|
Cardamine clematitis |
Cardamine pratensis |
|
Phenology | Flowering May–Jun. | Flowering May–Aug. |
Habitat | Wet areas, springs, moist slopes | Moist grounds, stream sides, limestone shores, sedge and grass meadows, marshy pond margins, mossy areas, wet hollows, boggy areas, turfy shores, damp creek banks, swamps, brooks and ditches, moist ravines, springy swales |
Elevation | 1300-1800 m (4300-5900 ft) | 0-1000 m (0-3300 ft) |
Distribution |
AL; FL; GA; NC; TN; VA |
CT; IN; MA; ME; MI; NH; NJ; NY; OH; PA; VT; BC; NB; NF; NS; ON; QC; Eurasia
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Discussion | The taxonomy of Cardamine pratensis in North America requires further detailed study. Most, if not all, populations of this species were introduced from Europe. Some specimens resemble the European C. dentata Schultes (high polyploid, characterized by all leaves, including distalmost, pinnate with petiolate and sometimes deciduous leaflets) and these populations might be native. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
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Source | FNA vol. 7, p. 470. | FNA vol. 7, p. 482. |
Parent taxa | ||
Sibling taxa | ||
Synonyms | Dracamine pratensis | |
Name authority | Shuttleworth ex A. Gray: Proc. Amer. Acad. Arts 15: 45. (1880) | Linnaeus: Sp. Pl. 2: 656. (1753) |
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