Flora of North America species comparison

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Cardamine flexuosa

Cardamine angulata

wavy bitter-cress, wood bitter-cress, woodland bitter-cress

angle bitter-cress, angle-leaf bitter-cress, seaside bitter-cress
Habit Annuals or biennials; sparsely to densely hirsute basally or throughout, or glabrous. Perennials; glabrous or sparsely pubescent.
Rhizomes

absent.

cylindrical, slender, to 2 mm diam.
Stems

erect, ascending, or decumbent, branched or unbranched, (0.6–)1–5 dm, (slightly flexuous).

erect, unbranched, (1.5–)2.5–8.5(–10) dm, sparsely to densely hirsute at base.
Basal leaves

(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.

Rhizomal leaves

3 (or 5)-foliolate, (4–)7–20(–22) cm, leaflets petiolulate or subsessile;

petiole (2–)4–12(–14) cm;

lateral leaflets subsessile, blade similar to terminal, larger or smaller in size;

terminal leaflet petiolulate [(0.3–)0.5–1.5 cm], blade ovate to broadly lanceolate, 1.5–7(–9) cm, base usually cuneate, rarely subreniform or obtuse, margins 3–5(–7)-lobed or -toothed, surfaces puberulent.
Cauline leaves

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).

(3 or) 4–8, 3 (or 5)-foliolate, petiolate, leaflets petiolulate or sessile;

petiole 1–4 cm, base not auriculate;

lateral leaflets sessile, blade similar to terminal, smaller, margins usually dentate, rarely entire;

terminal leaflet sessile or petiolulate, blade broadly ovate to narrowly lanceolate, 2–7 cm × 6–40 mm, margins minutely pubescent.
Racemes

ebracteate.

ebracteate.
Flowers

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.

sepals oblong, 2.5–4 × 1.3–2 mm, lateral pair saccate basally;

petals usually white, rarely pinkish, obovate, 8–15 × 4–8 mm (clawed, apex rounded or emarginate);

filaments: median pairs 3.5–6 mm, lateral pair 2–3.5 mm;

anthers oblong, 0.8–1.2 mm.
Fruiting pedicels

divaricate or ascending, (5–)6–14(–17) mm.

ascending to divaricate, (9–)12–25 mm.
Fruits

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.

linear, 1.5–3.2 cm × 1.4–2 mm;

ovules 10–16 per ovary;

style (0.5–)1–4 mm.
Seeds

brown, oblong or subquadrate, 0.9–1.5 × 0.6–1 mm, (narrowly margined or not).

dark brown, oblong, 1.8–2.3 × 1–1.2 mm.
2n

= 32.

= 40.

Cardamine flexuosa

Cardamine angulata
Phenology Flowering Apr–Jul. Flowering Apr–Jun.
Habitat Disturbed areas, fields, nurseries, plantations, gardens, flower beds, lawns, roadsides Moist ground, stream banks, swampy or damp woods, thickets, wet meadows
Elevation 0-1100 m (0-3600 ft) 0-900 m (0-3000 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
AL; CA; FL; GA; IL; IN; LA; MD; MI; NC; NY; OH; OR; RI; TX; VA; WA; BC; NF; ON; Europe; e Asia [Introduced in North America; introduced also in Mexico, Central America, South America, Australia]
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
AK; CA; OR; WA; BC
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

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.)
Source FNA vol. 7, p. 474. FNA vol. 7, p. 467.
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. flagellifera, 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. 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. rupicola, C. umbellata
Synonyms C. flexuosa subsp. debilis, C. flexuosa var. debilis, C. hirsuta subsp. flexuosa, C. scutata subsp. flexuosa C. angulata var. alba, C. angulata var. hirsuta, C. angulata var. pentaphylla, Dentaria grandiflora
Name authority Withering: Arr. Brit. Pl. ed. 3, 3: 578. (1796) Hooker: Fl. Bor.-Amer. 1: 44. (1829)
Web links 
Unless otherwise noted, all data comes from the online version of the Flora of North America, who have made most of their content available via a Creative Commons license (CC BY 4.0).



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