Cardamine maxima |
Cardamine bulbosa |
|
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large toothwort |
bulb bittercress, bulbous bitter-cress, spring cress |
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Habit | Perennials; glabrous (except leaflet margins and, sometimes, rachis). | Perennials; glabrous or sparsely pubescent distally. |
Rhizomes | cylindrical, 3–6 mm diam., (distinctly constricted at intervals, non-uniform diam., fleshy, slightly fragile, with dentate leaf scars). |
(tuberous at stem base, sometimes also at intervals) subglobose, lobed, 4–15 mm diam. (fleshy). |
Stems | erect, unbranched, 0.9–3(–4) dm. |
erect, unbranched, (1–)2–6 dm, glabrous or sparsely pubescent on distal 1/2 (trichomes 0.02–0.1 mm). |
Rhizomal leaves | 3-foliolate, 7–20 cm, leaflets petiolulate or subsessile; petiole 4–15 cm; lateral leaflets subsessile or petiolulate, blade often similar to terminal, base often oblique; terminal leaflet (petiolule 0.2–1(–1.7) cm), blade broadly ovate to oblong, 2–7.5 cm × 12–37 mm, base cuneate to obtuse, margins coarsely dentate to sharply incised, or deeply cleft into 2 or 3 lobes (lobes dentate or incised, margins puberulent). |
simple, (2–)4–13(–16) cm; petiole (1.5–)2.5–10(–13) cm; blade usually reniform to cordate or ovate, rarely oblong, (1–)2–4(–6) cm, base obtuse to cordate, margins usually repand or entire, rarely shallowly dentate. |
Cauline leaves | 2 or 3, 3-foliolate, (rarely subopposite), petiolate, leaflets petiolulate or subsessile; petiole (0.5–)1–4(–6.5) cm, base not auriculate; lateral and terminal leaflets similar to rhizomal, distalmost sometimes much smaller. |
(2–)4–10(–14), simple, petiolate or sessile; (middle ones) shortly petiolate or (distally) sessile, base not auriculate; blade ovate to oblong, or oblong-linear to lanceolate, 3–6(–9) cm × 10–30(–45) mm, margins entire, repand, or dentate (margins minutely pubescent). |
Racemes | ebracteate. |
ebracteate. |
Flowers | sepals (erect to ascending), oblong, 5–7 × 2–3 mm, lateral pair slightly saccate basally; petals white or pink, oblanceolate, 10–17 × 3–6 mm, (not clawed, apex rounded); filaments: median pairs 4–8 mm, lateral pair 3–6.5 mm; anthers linear, 1.7–2.7 mm. |
sepals oblong, 2.5–4.5 × 1.5–2 mm, lateral pair not saccate basally, (glabrous); petals usually white, rarely pale pink, obovate, (6–)7–12(–16) × 3–5 mm, (short-clawed, apex rounded); filaments: median pairs 4.5–7 mm, lateral pair 2–3.5 mm; anthers oblong, 1–1.5 mm. |
Fruiting pedicels | (flowering ones) horizontal to divaricate or deflexed, 7–20 mm. |
ascending to divaricate, (10–)15–22(–30) mm. |
Fruits | (undeveloped), linear-lanceolate, to 3 cm × 2 mm; ovules 10–14 per ovary; style 3.5–7 mm. |
linear, 2–3.5(–4) cm × 1.4–1.7 mm; ovules 14–24 per ovary; style 2–4(–5) mm. |
Seeds | not known. |
dark orange to greenish yellow, oblong or globose, 1.7–2.1 × 1–1.4 mm. |
2n | = 120, 124, 132, 138, 156, 161, ca. 208. |
= 16, 56, 64, 80, 96, 112. |
Cardamine maxima |
Cardamine bulbosa |
|
Phenology | Flowering Apr–Jun. | Flowering Mar–Jun. |
Habitat | Rich woods, shady ravines, ledges, moist alluvial bottoms, steep forested slopes, stream banks | Wet grounds, low woodland, moss hummocks, alluvial woods, grassy floodplains, wet pastures, meadows, pinelands, creek bottoms, stream banks, sandy bottoms, ditches, mesic or wet forests, swamps, marshes, seepy bluffs |
Elevation | 0-900 m (0-3000 ft) | |
Distribution |
CT; MA; ME; MI; NJ; NY; OH; PA; VT; NB; ON; QC
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AL; AR; CT; DC; DE; FL; GA; IA; IL; IN; KS; KY; LA; MA; MD; ME; MI; MN; MO; MS; NC; NE; NH; NJ; NY; OH; OK; PA; SC; SD; TN; TX; VA; VT; WI; WV; MB; ON; QC
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Discussion | Cardamine maxima has not been found with mature fruits and seeds and it has long been suspected to be a hybrid between C. concatenata and C. diphylla. Molecular studies (P. W. Sweeney and R. A. Price 2000) indicate that C. maxima is distinct from both those species. Although we hesitate to maintain it as a species, its wide distribution and morphological distinctness warrant its recognition. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
|
Source | FNA vol. 7, p. 477. | FNA vol. 7, p. 469. |
Parent taxa | Brassicaceae > tribe Cardamineae > Cardamine | Brassicaceae > tribe Cardamineae > Cardamine |
Sibling taxa | ||
Synonyms | Dentaria maxima, C. anomala, Dentaria anomala | Arabis bulbosa, Arabis rhomboidea, C. rhomboidea, C. rhomboidea var. hirsuta, C. rhomboidea var. parviflora, C. rhomboidea var. pilosa, Dentaria rhomboidea, Dracamine bulbosa |
Name authority | (Nuttall) Alph. Wood: Amer. Bot. Fl., 38. (1870) | (Schreber ex Muhlenberg) Britton: Prelim. Cat., 4. (1888) |
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