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Blue Ridge bittercress

cliff bittercress

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

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

cylindrical, slender, 1–2 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 or decumbent at base, unbranched, 0.6–2 dm.

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).

palmately or subpalmately compound, 3 or 5 (or 7)-foliolate, 5.5–17(–22) cm, (fleshy), petiolate, leaflets petiolulate or subsessile;

petiole 4–14(–17) cm;

lateral leaflets subsessile, blade similar to terminal, sometimes smaller;

terminal leaflet (petiolule 0.1–0.5 cm), blade ovate to lanceolate or elliptic-oblong, 1–3 cm × 6–17 mm, base cuneate or obtuse, margins entire, (apiculate).

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 or 3, 3 or 5-foliolate, petiolate, leaflets petiolulate or sessile;

petiole 0.7–4(–8) cm, base not auriculate;

lateral leaflets sessile, blade similar to terminal, smaller;

terminal leaflet petiolulate (0.1–0.5 cm), blade elliptic to oblong, or ovate, 1.2–3.5 cm × 4–25 mm, margins entire.

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, 3–5 × 1.5–2 mm, lateral pair saccate basally;

petals white, obovate, 8–14 × 4–7 mm, (short-clawed, apex rounded or subemarginate);

filaments: median pairs 4–5 mm, lateral pair 2.5–3.5 mm;

anthers oblong, 1–1.2 mm.

Fruiting pedicels

ascending to divaricate-ascending, 7–20 mm.

ascending to divaricate, 6–18 mm.

Fruits

linear, 1.5–2.5 cm × 1–1.2 mm;

ovules 10–14 per ovary;

style 1.2–2.5 mm.

linear, 2–4 cm × 1.5–2.2 mm;

ovules 10–14 per ovary;

style 1–5 mm.

Seeds

brown, oblong, 1.2–1.7 × 0.8–1.1 mm.

brown, oblong, 1.8–2.2 × 1.2–1.5 mm.

Cardamine flagellifera

Cardamine rupicola

Phenology Flowering Mar–Jun. Flowering Jul–Aug.
Habitat Moist wooded slopes, gorges, wooded ravines, seepage places Limestone talus slopes, loose limey shale, moist banks
Elevation 300-1000 m (1000-3300 ft) 2200-2700 m (7200-8900 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
GA; NC; SC; TN; WV
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
MT
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Cardamine rupicola is known from Flathead, Lewis and Clarke, and Missoula counties.

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

Source FNA vol. 7, p. 474. 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. 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. pattersonii, C. penduliflora, C. pensylvanica, C. pratensis, C. purpurea, C. rotundifolia, C. umbellata
Synonyms C. flagellifera var. hugeri, C. hugeri C. californica var. rupicola, Dentaria rupicola
Name authority O. E. Schulz: Bot. Jahrb. Syst. 32: 405. (1903) (O. E. Schulz) C. L. Hitchcock: in C. L. Hitchcock et al., Vasc. Pl. Pacif. N.W. 2: 474. (1964)
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