Cardamine flexuosa
Cardamine angustata
wavy bitter-cress, wood bitter-cress, woodland bitter-cress
slender toothwort
absent.
(tuberiform, fragile) moniliform, segments fusiform, 3–6 mm diam. (fleshy).
erect, ascending, or decumbent, branched or unbranched, (0.6–)1–5 dm, (slightly flexuous).
erect, unbranched, 1.2–3(–4) dm, glabrous or pubescent.
(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-foliolate, to 24 cm, leaflets petiolulate or subsessile;
petiole (3–)5–12(–16) cm;
lateral leaflets subsessile or petiolulate (0.2–1 cm), blade similar to terminal leaflet or smaller;
terminal leaflet (petiolule) (0.2–)0.5–1.5(–2) cm, blade broadly ovate to rhombic-obovate, 1.5–6(–8) cm, base usually cuneate, rarely subtruncate, margins coarsely dentate to crenate or 3-lobed, surfaces puberulent or not.
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).
2 (or 3), 3-foliolate (usually alternate, rarely opposite, different in morphology from rhizomal), petiolate, leaflets petiolulate or sessile;
petiole 0.5–2 cm, base not auriculate;
lateral leaflets sessile, blade similar to terminal, smaller, margins usually dentate, rarely entire;
terminal leaflet sessile or petiolulate, blade narrowly lanceolate to narrowly oblong or oblong-lanceolate, 2–7 × 0.3–0.6 cm, margins minutely puberulent.
ebracteate.
ebracteate.
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, 5–7.5 × 1–2 mm, lateral pair slightly saccate basally;
petals purple to pale pink, oblanceolate, 9–18 × 2–5 mm (clawed, apex rounded);
filaments: median pairs 5–10 mm, lateral pair 3.5–8 mm;
anthers linear, 1.5–3 mm.
divaricate or ascending, (5–)6–14(–17) mm.
ascending to divaricate, 15–40 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.
linear, 2.5–4 cm × 1.5–2.5 mm;
ovules 8–12 per ovary;
style (5–)7–11 mm.
brown, oblong or subquadrate, 0.9–1.5 × 0.6–1 mm, (narrowly margined or not).
dark brown, oblong, 2–2.5 × 1–1.5 mm.
= 32.
= ca. 128.
Cardamine flexuosa
Cardamine angustata
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.)
Cardamine heterophylla (Nuttall) Alph. Wood (1870), not Host (1797) is an illegitimate name, sometimes found in synonymy with C. angustata.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
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