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small mountain bittercress

American bittercress, mountain watercress

Habit Perennials; glabrous throughout. Perennials; glabrous throughout.
Rhizomes

cylindrical, slender, 1–3 mm diam.

slender, to 2 mm diam.

Stems

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

usually procumbent, sometimes erect, (not flexuous), unbranched or branched, (1–)1.5–3(–5) dm.

Basal leaves

(soon withered), not rosulate.

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.

absent.

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).

simple, petiolate;

petiole (0.3–)0.5–2.5(–4) cm, base not auriculate;

blade oblong, ovate, suborbicular, or cordate, (0.5–)1–4.5(–5.5) cm × (5–)10–40(–54) mm, base cordate, rounded, or truncate, margins entire, repand, or sinuate, (distally with shorter petiole, blade 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 × 1–1.7 mm, lateral pair not saccate basally;

petals white, broadly oblanceolate, spreading, 5–7(–8) × 2–3 mm, (not clawed, apex rounded);

filaments: median pairs 3.5–4.5 mm, lateral pair 2.7–3.5 mm;

anthers oblong, 0.8–1.2 mm.

Fruiting pedicels

divaricate-ascending, (7–)10–17 mm.

divaricate to ascending, (6–)10–15(–20) 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), 1–1.5(–2) cm × 0.8–1.1 mm;

ovules 40–80 per ovary;

style 1.5–2.5 mm.

Seeds

brown, oblong, 1.7–2 × 1–1.2 mm.

brown, oblong to ovoid, 0.9–1.1 × 0.5–0.6 mm.

Cardamine clematitis

Cardamine rotundifolia

Phenology Flowering May–Jun. Flowering Apr–Jun.
Habitat Wet areas, springs, moist slopes Stream banks, swamps, low woodland, wet rocky areas, seepage areas
Elevation 1300-1800 m (4300-5900 ft) 150-400 m (500-1300 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
AL; FL; GA; NC; TN; VA
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
DE; GA; KY; MD; NC; NJ; NY; OH; PA; TN; VA; WV
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Source FNA vol. 7, p. 470. FNA vol. 7, p. 483.
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. 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. rupicola, C. umbellata
Synonyms Dentaria rotundifolia
Name authority Shuttleworth ex A. Gray: Proc. Amer. Acad. Arts 15: 45. (1880) Michaux: Fl. Bor.-Amer. 2: 30. (1803)
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