Cardamine flexuosa
Brassicaceae tribe Cardamineae
wavy bitter-cress, wood bitter-cress, woodland bitter-cress
absent.
erect, ascending, or decumbent, branched or unbranched, (0.6–)1–5 dm, (slightly flexuous).
(often withered by anthesis), not rosulate, 5–15-foliolate, (2.7–)4–14(–19) cm, leaflets petiolulate;
petiole 0.7–5 cm, (ciliate or not);
lateral leaflet blade oblong, ovate, or elliptic, smaller than terminal, margins entire, repand, crenate, or 3 (or 5)-lobed;
terminal leaflet (petiolule 0.3–1.7 cm), blade reniform, broadly ovate, or suborbicular, 0.5–2.5 cm × 4–30 mm, margins repand, crenate, or 3 or 5-lobed.
3–15, 5–15-foliolate [leaves (2–)3.5–5.5(–7) cm, including petiole], petiolate, leaflets petiolulate;
petiole base not auriculate;
lateral leaflets similar to basal, (0.4–2.5 mm wide).
(rarely absent), usually petiolate, sometimes sessile;
blade (simple or compound), base auriculate or not, margins entire or dentate to pinnately lobed.
ebracteate.
usually ebracteate (Selenia bracteate throughout), often elongated in fruit.
sepals oblong, 1.5–2.5 × 0.7–1 mm, lateral pair not saccate basally;
petals white, spatulate, 2.5–4(–5) × 1–1.7 mm; (stamens rarely 4, lateral pair absent);
filaments 2–3 mm;
anthers ovate, 0.3–0.5 mm.
actinomorphic;
sepals erect to spreading or ascending, lateral pair seldom saccate basally;
petals white, yellow, pink, lilac, or purple, claw usually present, rarely absent, often distinct;
filaments unappendaged, not winged;
pollen 3-colpate.
divaricate or ascending, (5–)6–14(–17) mm.
linear, (torulose), (0.8–)1.2–2.8 cm × 1–1.5 mm;
ovules 18–40 per ovary;
style 0.3–1(–1.5) mm.
silicles or siliques, dehiscent, unsegmented, terete, 4-angled, or latiseptate, rarely angustiseptate;
ovules 4–300[–numerous] per ovary;
style distinct or obsolete (absent in Subularia);
stigma usually entire.
brown, oblong or subquadrate, 0.9–1.5 × 0.6–1 mm, (narrowly margined or not).
biseriate or uniseriate;
cotyledons usually accumbent, sometimes incumbent.
absent or simple.
= 32.
Cardamine flexuosa
Brassicaceae tribe Cardamineae
According to J. Lihová et al. (2006), the populations referred to Cardamine flexuosa in North America comprise two taxa of different polyploid origins and evolutionary histories: tetraploid C. flexuosa (2n = 32), native to Europe, and the octoploid taxon informally called “Asian C. flexuosa” (2n = 64), native to eastern Asia. For the latter, the name C. flexuosa subsp. debilis can be used. Nevertheless, these two taxa should be recognized at species level and the correct name for the Asian species should be sought. Based on available data, both taxa occupy the same habitats in North America, but the Asian taxon is much more widespread. The occurrence of European C. flexuosa was, until now, confirmed only for Washington, where both taxa have been recorded. More detailed studies of the North American distributions of both these weeds are needed.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Genera 12, species ca. 335 (10 genera, 85 species in the flora).
The assignment of Subularia to Cardamineae is provisional and based solely on morphology.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
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