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Blue Ridge bittercress

big western bitter-cress, western bitter-cress, western toothwort

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

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

(tuberiform, fragile), ovoid or globose at base of stem, 3–10 mm diam., (fleshy).

Stems

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

(simple from base), erect to ascending, (not flexuous), unbranched or branched distally, 1–5 dm, glabrous or pubescent proximally.

Basal leaves

not rosulate, pinnately compound, (3 or) 5 (or 7)-foliolate, 2–10 cm, leaflets petiolulate or subsessile;

petiole 0.5–6.5 cm;

lateral leaflets petiolulate or subsessile, blade similar to terminal, ovate, smaller, margins entire;

terminal leaflet (petiolule 0.03–0.18 cm), blade orbicular to broadly ovate or subcordate, 0.5–2 cm × 7–25 mm, base cordate to rounded, margins entire or repand, (surfaces glabrous).

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).

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).

3–7, (3 or) 5 or 7-foliolate (middle ones 5 or 7-foliolate, smaller distally, becoming 3-foliolate), petiolate;

petiole 0.5–3 cm, base not auriculate;

lateral leaflets similar to terminal, smaller;

terminal leaflet blade obovate to oblanceolate, 0.5–2.6 cm × 3–13 mm, margins shallowly toothed, entire, or repand.

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, 1.7–2 × 1–1.2 mm, lateral pair not saccate basally;

petals white, oblanceolate, 4–6 × 1.5–2 mm, (not clawed);

filaments: median pairs 2–2.5 mm, lateral pair 1–1.5 mm;

anthers ovate, 0.3–0.5 mm.

Fruiting pedicels

ascending to divaricate-ascending, 7–20 mm.

divaricate-ascending, 7–18 mm.

Fruits

linear, 1.5–2.5 cm × 1–1.2 mm;

ovules 10–14 per ovary;

style 1.2–2.5 mm.

linear, (torulose), 1.5–3.3 cm × 1.7–2.2 mm; (valves glabrous or sparsely pubescent);

ovules 18–40 per ovary;

style 0.5–1.5 mm.

Seeds

brown, oblong, 1.2–1.7 × 0.8–1.1 mm.

brown, ovoid, 1–1.6 × 1–1.2 mm.

2n

= 64.

Cardamine flagellifera

Cardamine occidentalis

Phenology Flowering Mar–Jun. Flowering Apr–Jul.
Habitat Moist wooded slopes, gorges, wooded ravines, seepage places Muddy grounds, lake margins, shallow streams, meadows
Elevation 300-1000 m (1000-3300 ft) 150-1500 m (500-4900 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
GA; NC; SC; TN; WV
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
AK; CA; OR; WA; BC
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Source FNA vol. 7, p. 474. FNA vol. 7, p. 479.
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. 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. 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 C. pratensis var. occidentalis, C. neglecta
Name authority O. E. Schulz: Bot. Jahrb. Syst. 32: 405. (1903) (S. Watson) Howell: Fl. N.W. Amer., 50. (1897)
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