Cardamine flexuosa |
Cardamine longii |
|
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wavy bitter-cress, wood bitter-cress, woodland bitter-cress |
long's bitter-cress |
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Habit | Annuals or biennials; sparsely to densely hirsute basally or throughout, or glabrous. | Perennials; glabrous throughout. |
Rhizomes | absent. |
cylindrical, slender, 0.8–1.5 mm diam. |
Stems | erect, ascending, or decumbent, branched or unbranched, (0.6–)1–5 dm, (slightly flexuous). |
prostrate to decumbent or erect, unbranched or branched, 0.5–4(–6) 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. |
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Rhizomal leaves | absent. |
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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). |
3–10, usually simple, rarely 3 or 5-foliolate, petiolate; petiolulate or sessile; petiole 0.4–2.5 cm, base not auriculate; lateral leaflets (when present) sessile or petiolulate (to 0.2 cm), blade similar to terminal, considerably smaller; terminal leaflet blade orbicular to reniform or ovate to oblong, 0.4–3 cm × 3–20 mm, (somewhat fleshy), base subcordate to rounded or subtruncate, margins entire or repand, rarely undulate, (apex rounded). |
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 ovate, 0.7–1.2 × 0.5–0.7 mm, lateral pair not saccate basally; petals absent or rudimentary, to 0.7 mm; filaments 0.5–0.8 mm; anthers ovate, 0.1–0.2 mm. |
Fruiting pedicels | divaricate or ascending, (5–)6–14(–17) mm. |
divaricate-ascending to spreading, 0.5–2(–4) 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. |
narrowly oblong to linear, (3–)5–10(–15) × 0.8–1.2 mm; ovules 6–22 per ovary; style 0.2–0.5(–1) mm. |
Seeds | brown, oblong or subquadrate, 0.9–1.5 × 0.6–1 mm, (narrowly margined or not). |
light or yellowish brown, oblong or ovoid, 1–1.4 × 0.7–1 mm. |
2n | = 32. |
|
Cardamine flexuosa |
Cardamine longii |
|
Phenology | Flowering Apr–Jul. | Flowering Jun–Sep. |
Habitat | Disturbed areas, fields, nurseries, plantations, gardens, flower beds, lawns, roadsides | Tidal marshes, mud flats, tidal shores of rivers, shallow water, swampy areas, shady rocky crevices covered at high tide |
Elevation | 0-1100 m (0-3600 ft) | 0-10 m (0-0 ft) |
Distribution |
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]
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FL; MA; MD; ME; NC; NJ; NY; SC; VA |
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. 476. |
Parent taxa | Brassicaceae > tribe Cardamineae > Cardamine | Brassicaceae > tribe Cardamineae > Cardamine |
Sibling taxa | ||
Synonyms | C. flexuosa subsp. debilis, C. flexuosa var. debilis, C. hirsuta subsp. flexuosa, C. scutata subsp. flexuosa | |
Name authority | Withering: Arr. Brit. Pl. ed. 3, 3: 578. (1796) | Fernald: Rhodora 19: 91. (1917) |
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