Cardamine flexuosa
Cardamine douglassii
wavy bitter-cress, wood bitter-cress, woodland bitter-cress
limestone bittercress, pink bitter-cress
absent.
(tuberous at stem base), subglobose, (lobed or not), (3–)4–10 mm diam., (fleshy).
erect, ascending, or decumbent, branched or unbranched, (0.6–)1–5 dm, (slightly flexuous).
erect, unbranched, (0.7–)1–2.5(–3) dm, sparsely to densely hirsute, or glabrous basally, (trichomes (0.2–)0.3–0.6(–0.8) mm).
(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.
simple, (3–)5–15(–18) cm;
petiole (2–)4–12(–16) cm;
blade often orbicular to cordate, sometimes reniform or ovate, (1–)2–6 cm × (7–)17–50 mm, base obtuse to cordate, margins repand or entire.
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).
3–6(–8), simple, petiolate or sessile; (middle) shortly petiolate or (distal) sessile, base not auriculate;
blade oblong to ovate or lanceolate, 2–5 cm × 5–25 mm, margins entire, repand, or coarsely dentate.
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, 2.5–4(–6) × 1.5–2.5 mm, lateral pair not saccate basally, (surfaces often hirsute);
petals usually rose-purple to pink, rarely white, obovate, (7–)8–13(–15) × 3–5 mm, (short-clawed, apex rounded);
filaments: median pairs 4–7 mm, lateral pair 2–4 mm;
anthers oblong, 1.3–1.7 mm.
divaricate or ascending, (5–)6–14(–17) mm.
ascending to divaricate, (10–)15–35(–50) mm, sparsely pubescent or glabrous.
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–)2–4 cm × 1.5–2 mm;
ovules 10–16 per ovary;
style 2–5 mm.
brown, oblong or subquadrate, 0.9–1.5 × 0.6–1 mm, (narrowly margined or not).
brown, oblong to ovoid, 1.7–2.5 × 1–5 mm.
= 32.
= 56, 64, 96, 112, 144.
Cardamine flexuosa
Cardamine douglassii
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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