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Blue Ridge bittercress

Constance's bittercress

Habit Perennials; hirsute or pilose proximally, sparsely pubescent or glabrous distally. Perennials; glabrous or sparsely hirsute.
Rhizomes

swollen, compact at stem base, (fleshy, stolons many, slender, ca. 1 mm diam., pubescent or glabrous).

cylindrical, slender, to 2 mm diam.

Stems

erect, usually unbranched, rarely branched distally, 1–2.5 dm, sparsely to densely hirsute or pilose proximally, sparsely so or glabrous distally.

erect, unbranched, 1.5–5 dm, glabrous or sparsely hirsute basally.

Rhizomal leaves

usually simple, rarely 3-foliolate, (3–)6–16 cm, leaflets petiolulate or subsessile;

petiole (1.5–)4–13 cm;

lateral leaflets subsessile or petiolulate (to 0.5 cm), blade similar to terminal, much smaller;

terminal leaflet (petiolule 0.5–2 cm), blade orbicular to reniform or broadly ovate, (1–)1.5–4.5 cm, base cordate, margins repand to coarsely crenate, (apiculate at vein endings, surfaces sparsely pubescent or glabrous).

absent.

Cauline leaves

2–5, 3 or 5-foliolate, petiolate, leaflets petiolulate or subsessile;

petiole 0.8–5 cm, base not auriculate;

lateral leaflets sessile or petiolulate (to 0.5 cm), blade similar to terminal, smaller;

terminal leaflet petiolulate (0.5–1.5 cm), blade broadly ovate to suborbicular, 1.5–4(–5) cm × 12–35 mm, margins repand to coarsely crenate or slightly lobed, (apiculate at vein endings, margins glabrous).

4–7, simple, (crowded distally), petiolate;

petiole (0.5–)1–4(–5) cm, base not auriculate;

blade usually broadly ovate or ovate-lanceolate to ovate-elliptic, rarely obovate, 5–13 cm × 20–65 mm, base cuneate, margins coarsely serrate (with apiculae), or repand to undulate (margins minutely pubescent, apex acute).

Racemes

ebracteate.

ebracteate.

Flowers

sepals (ascending) oblong, 3–3.5 × 1–1.5 mm, lateral pair not saccate basally;

petals white, oblanceolate, 5–6.5(–8) × 1.5–2.5 mm, (not clawed, apex obtuse to subemarginate);

filaments: median pairs 3.5–5 mm, lateral pair 2.5–3 mm;

anthers oblong, 1.2–1.6 mm.

sepals oblong, 6–8 × 2–2.5 mm, lateral pair slightly saccate basally;

petals pink, oblanceolate, 15–28 × 5–8 mm, (claw to 10 mm, apex rounded);

filaments: median pairs 8–10 mm, lateral pair 4–6 mm;

anthers linear, 2–3 mm.

Fruiting pedicels

ascending to divaricate-ascending, 7–20 mm.

divaricate-ascending to suberect, 10–22 mm.

Fruits

linear, 1.5–2.5 cm × 1–1.2 mm;

ovules 10–14 per ovary;

style 1.2–2.5 mm.

linear, 2.5–3.5(–5) cm × 1.9–2.1 mm;

ovules 12–16 per ovary;

style 2–3.5 mm.

Seeds

brown, oblong, 1.2–1.7 × 0.8–1.1 mm.

brown, oblong, 2–2.5 × 1.2–1.5 mm.

Cardamine flagellifera

Cardamine constancei

Phenology Flowering Mar–Jun. Flowering May–Jun.
Habitat Moist wooded slopes, gorges, wooded ravines, seepage places Moist cliffs, wooded creek bottoms, shaded draws, hillsides, moist woods, mixed coniferous forests, granitic soils
Elevation 300-1000 m (1000-3300 ft) 400-600 m (1300-2000 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
GA; NC; SC; TN; WV
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
ID
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Cardamine constancei is known from Clearwater, Idaho, Kootenai, Nez Perce, and Shoshone counties.

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

Source FNA vol. 7, p. 474. FNA vol. 7, p. 471.
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. clematitis, C. concatenata, C. constancei, C. cordifolia, C. digitata, C. diphylla, C. dissecta, C. douglassii, 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. 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. flagellifera var. hugeri, C. hugeri
Name authority O. E. Schulz: Bot. Jahrb. Syst. 32: 405. (1903) Detling: Madroño 3: 176, plate 9. (1935)
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