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

Brewer's bitter-cress, round bittercress

Habit Annuals or biennials; sparsely to densely hirsute basally or throughout, or glabrous. Perennials; usually glabrous, rarely sparsely pubescent basally.
Rhizomes

absent.

cylindrical, slender (rarely slightly thickened at stem base), 1–3(–4) mm diam.

Stems

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

erect or decumbent basally, unbranched or branched, (0.6–)1.5–6(–7) dm.

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

absent.

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).

3–8(–11), 3 or 5-foliolate (rarely only terminal leaflet present), petiolate, leaflets petiolulate or subsessile;

petiole (0.7–)1–4(–6) cm, base not auriculate;

lateral leaflets (when present) subsessile or petiolulate (to 0.4 cm), blade similar to terminal, often much smaller and narrower than terminal;

terminal leaflet (petiolule 0.4–1.6 cm), blade usually ovate to orbicular, rarely subcordate, 1.5–4(–5) cm × 15–35(–50) mm, base truncate, rounded, or cordate, margins crenate, dentate, sinuate, or to 11-lobed.

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, 2–3(–3.8) × 1–1.5 mm, lateral pair not saccate basally;

petals white, oblanceolate, 3.5–6(–7) × 1.5–2.5(–3) mm (not clawed, apex rounded or ± emarginate);

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

anthers oblong, 0.7–1 mm.

Fruiting pedicels

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

ascending to divaricate-ascending, (7–)10–20 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, 1.5–3.5 cm × 1–1.5 mm;

ovules 14–28 per ovary;

style 0.2–1.5(–2.5) mm.

Seeds

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

brown, oblong, 1–1.6 × 0.9–1.1 mm.

2n

= 32.

Cardamine flexuosa

Cardamine breweri

Phenology Flowering Apr–Jul. Flowering Jun–Jul.
Habitat Disturbed areas, fields, nurseries, plantations, gardens, flower beds, lawns, roadsides Stream banks, seepage, lakeshores, creeks, wet meadows, swamps, ponds
Elevation 0-1100 m (0-3600 ft) 1200-3000 m (3900-9800 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
CA; CO; ID; MT; NV; OR; UT; WA; WY; 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. 469.
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. angulata, C. angustata, C. bellidifolia, C. blaisdellii, 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. breweri var. leibergii, C. breweri var. orbicularis, C. breweri var. oregana, C. callosicrenata, C. foliacea, C. hederifolia, C. leibergii, C. modocensis, C. orbicularis, C. oregana, C. vallicola, C. vallicola subsp. leibergii
Name authority Withering: Arr. Brit. Pl. ed. 3, 3: 578. (1796) S. Watson: Proc. Amer. Acad. Arts 10: 339. (1875)
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