The green links below add additional plants to the comparison table. Blue links lead to other Web sites.
enable glossary links

Blue Ridge bittercress

Cardamine pattersonii

Saddle Mountain bitter-cress

Habit Perennials; hirsute or pilose proximally, sparsely pubescent or glabrous distally. Annuals or perennials; (short-lived); glabrous throughout.
Rhizomes

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

cylindrical, slender, 0.5–1.5 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.

(simple from base), erect, (not flexuous), unbranched or branched basally, 0.6–3 dm.

Basal leaves

rosulate or not, 3 or 5-foliolate, 1–6 cm, leaflets petiolulate;

petiole 0.4–2.5 cm;

lateral leaflets similar to terminal, considerably smaller;

terminal leaflet (petiolule 0.1–0.4 cm), blade obovate to orbicular or subcordate, 0.3–1.5(–2.0) cm × 2.5–16(–18) mm, base obtuse to rounded or cordate, margins entire or dentate to slightly sinuately lobed.

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).

2–4, 3 or 5-foliolate, blade similar to basal, gradually reduced in size as bract, distalmost ones subtending pedicels of flowers (usually simple);

leaflet blade or bract linear to linear-oblanceolate, 0.2–0.8 cm.

Racemes

ebracteate.

bracteate throughout.

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, (2–)3 × 0.7(–1) mm, lateral pair not saccate basally;

petals purple or pink, obovate, 6–9 × 3–4 mm, (not clawed);

filaments: median pairs 3–3.5 mm, lateral pair 2–2.5 mm;

anthers oblong, 0.7–1 mm.

Fruiting pedicels

ascending to divaricate-ascending, 7–20 mm.

divaricate-ascending, (10–)15–30(–45) 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), 2–3 cm × 1–1.5 mm;

ovules 14–20 per ovary;

style 2–4 mm.

Seeds

brown, oblong, 1.2–1.7 × 0.8–1.1 mm.

brown, oblong to ovoid, 1.7–2.2 × 1–1.5 mm, (winged distally).

Cardamine flagellifera

Cardamine pattersonii

Phenology Flowering Mar–Jun. Flowering May–Jun.
Habitat Moist wooded slopes, gorges, wooded ravines, seepage places Moist mossy cliffs, rocky slopes, mossy banks
Elevation 300-1000 m (1000-3300 ft) 800-900 m (2600-3000 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
GA; NC; SC; TN; WV
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
OR
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Of conservation concern.

Cardamine pattersonii is known from Saddle Mountain and Onion Peak in Clastop County.

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

Source FNA vol. 7, p. 474. FNA vol. 7, p. 480.
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. occidentalis, C. oligosperma, C. pachystigma, C. parviflora, 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) L. F. Henderson: Rhodora 32: 25. (1930)
Web links