Cardamine flexuosa
Cardamine diphylla
wavy bitter-cress, wood bitter-cress, woodland bitter-cress
broadleaf toothwort, crinkleroot, two-leaf toothwort
absent.
(unsegmented), cylindrical, 2–10 mm diam., (somewhat uniform, fleshy, not fragile, with dentate leaf scars).
erect, ascending, or decumbent, branched or unbranched, (0.6–)1–5 dm, (slightly flexuous).
erect, unbranched, (1.2–)1.5–3.5(–4) dm, rarely sparsely pubescent distally.
(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, (5.5–)8–22(–26) cm, leaflets petiolulate or subsessile;
petiole (3–)4.5–16(–20) cm;
lateral leaflets subsessile or petiolulate, blade often similar to terminal, base sometimes oblique;
terminal leaflet (petiolule 0.5–1.2 cm), blade ovate-elliptic to broadly ovate, (2–)3.5–8(–10) cm × (5–)20–65(–80) mm, base cuneate to obtuse, margins coarsely crenate or dentate, (surfaces puberulent, trichomes to 0.1 mm).
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) [(sub)opposite], 3-foliolate, (similar to rhizomal leaves), petiolate, leaflets petiolulate or subsessile;
petiole (1–)2–4.5 cm, base not auriculate;
lateral leaflets similar to terminal;
terminal leaflet subsessile or petiolulate (0.2–1 cm), blade broadly elliptic to ovate, (2–)4–8(–10) cm × 10–50 mm, margins coarsely dentate or crenate, (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, (4–)5–8 × 2–3 mm, lateral pair slightly saccate basally;
petals white or pink to purple, obovate to oblanceolate, (7–)9–15(–17) × (3–)4–7 mm, (short-clawed, apex rounded);
filaments: median pairs 5–8 mm, lateral pair 3.5–6 mm;
anthers linear to oblong, 2.5–3 mm.
divaricate or ascending, (5–)6–14(–17) mm.
ascending to divaricate, (10–)15–30(–36) 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-lanceolate, 1.5–4 cm × 1.5–2.5 mm;
ovules 10–14 per ovary;
style 4–8(–10) mm.
brown, oblong or subquadrate, 0.9–1.5 × 0.6–1 mm, (narrowly margined or not).
(rarely produced) brown, oblong, 2–2.2 × 1.2–1.5 mm (cotyledons incumbent).
= 32.
= 96.
Cardamine flexuosa
Cardamine diphylla
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.)
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