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hairy bitter-cress, shotweed

small mountain bittercress

Habit Annuals; sparsely hirsute basally (at least on petiole of basal leaves), often glabrous distally. Perennials; glabrous throughout.
Rhizomes

absent.

cylindrical, slender, 1–3 mm diam.

Stems

erect, ascending, or decumbent, unbranched or branched basally and/or distally, (0.3–)1–3.5(–4.5) dm, (not flexuous).

erect, unbranched or rarely branched distally, (0.8–)1–2.5(–3.5) dm.

Basal leaves

(persistent to anthesis), rosulate, (5–)8–15(–22)-foliolate, (2–)3.5–15(–17) cm, leaflets petiolulate;

petiole 0.5–5 cm, (ciliate);

lateral leaflet blade oblong, ovate, obovate, or orbicular, smaller than terminal, margins entire, repand, crenate, or 3-lobed;

terminal leaflet (petiolule 0.2–1 cm), blade reniform or orbicular, 0.4–2 cm × 6–30 mm, margins entire, repand, dentate, or 3 or 5-lobed.

Rhizomal leaves

simple or 3-foliolate, (1.5–)3–8 cm, leaflets petiolulate or subsessile;

petiole (1–)2–6 cm;

lateral leaflets subsessile, blade similar to terminal, much smaller;

terminal leaflet petiolulate (to 1 cm), blade reniform to cordate, (0.5–)1–2 cm, base cordate, margins entire or 3-lobed.

Cauline leaves

1–4(–6), compound as basal, petiolate, [(0.5–)1.2–5.5(–7) cm, including petiole], leaflets petiolulate;

blade base not auriculate;

leaflets similar to basal.

3–7, 3-foliolate (or distalmost simple), petiolate, leaflets petiolulate or sessile;

petiole 0.7–3.5 cm, base auriculate (auricle 0.7–5 mm);

lateral leaflets sessile or petiolulate (to 0.5 cm), blade oblong to ovate or oblong;

terminal leaflet (petiolule 0.5–1 cm), blade broadly ovate to suborbicular or reniform, 1.5–4 cm × 15–35 mm, margins often 3 or 5-lobed (lobe apex minutely apiculate, glabrous on margin).

Racemes

ebracteate.

ebracteate.

Flowers

sepals oblong, 1.5–2.5 × 0.3–0.7 mm, lateral pair not saccate;

petals (sometimes absent) white, spatulate, 2.5–4.5(–5) × 0.5–1.1 mm; (stamens usually 4, lateral pair often absent, rarely 5 or 6);

filaments 1.8–3 mm;

anthers ovate, 0.3–0.5 mm.

sepals oblong, 2.5–3 × 1–1.5 mm, lateral pair not saccate basally;

petals white, oblanceolate, 6–8 × 2–3 mm (not clawed, apex obtuse to subemarginate);

filaments: median pairs 3.5–4 mm, lateral pair 2–2.5 mm;

anthers ovate, ca. 0.7 mm.

Fruiting pedicels

erect to ascending, (2–)3–10(–14) mm.

divaricate-ascending, (7–)10–17 mm.

Fruits

linear, (torulose), (0.9–)1.5–2.5(–2.8) cm × (0.8–)1–1.4 mm, (often appressed to rachis);

ovules 14–40 per ovary;

style 0.1–0.6(–1) mm.

linear, (1.5–)2–3.5(–4) cm × 1.3–1.7 mm;

ovules 10–16 per ovary;

style 2–4 mm.

Seeds

light brown, oblong or subquadrate, 0.9–1.3(–1.5) × 0.6–0.9(–1.1) mm, (narrowly margined).

brown, oblong, 1.7–2 × 1–1.2 mm.

2n

= 16.

Cardamine hirsuta

Cardamine clematitis

Phenology Flowering Feb–Jul. Flowering May–Jun.
Habitat Roadsides, clearings, disturbed sites, slopes, cedar glades, mixed woods, meadows, fields, waste grounds, damp places, grassy areas Wet areas, springs, moist slopes
Elevation 0-700 m (0-2300 ft) 1300-1800 m (4300-5900 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
AL; AR; CA; CT; DC; DE; FL; GA; IL; KY; LA; MA; MD; MI; MO; MS; NC; NJ; NY; OH; OK; OR; PA; SC; TN; TX; UT; VA; WA; WV; BC; ON; w Eurasia [Introduced in North America; introduced also in Central America, South America, e Asia (Japan), South Africa, Australia]
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
AL; FL; GA; NC; TN; VA
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Herbarium specimens of Cardamine hirsuta have been misidentified as C. oligosperma.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

Source FNA vol. 7, p. 475. FNA vol. 7, p. 470.
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. flexuosa, 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. breweri, C. bulbosa, C. californica, 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
Name authority Linnaeus: Sp. Pl. 2: 655. (1753) Shuttleworth ex A. Gray: Proc. Amer. Acad. Arts 15: 45. (1880)
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