Cardamine maxima |
Cardamine douglassii |
|
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large toothwort |
limestone bittercress, pink bitter-cress |
|
Habit | Perennials; glabrous (except leaflet margins and, sometimes, rachis). | Perennials; hirsute throughout or glabrous proximally. |
Rhizomes | cylindrical, 3–6 mm diam., (distinctly constricted at intervals, non-uniform diam., fleshy, slightly fragile, with dentate leaf scars). |
(tuberous at stem base), subglobose, (lobed or not), (3–)4–10 mm diam., (fleshy). |
Stems | erect, unbranched, 0.9–3(–4) dm. |
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). |
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, (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. |
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. |
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. |
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(–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. |
Fruiting pedicels | (flowering ones) horizontal to divaricate or deflexed, 7–20 mm. |
ascending to divaricate, (10–)15–35(–50) mm, sparsely pubescent or glabrous. |
Fruits | (undeveloped), linear-lanceolate, to 3 cm × 2 mm; ovules 10–14 per ovary; style 3.5–7 mm. |
linear, (1.5–)2–4 cm × 1.5–2 mm; ovules 10–16 per ovary; style 2–5 mm. |
Seeds | not known. |
brown, oblong to ovoid, 1.7–2.5 × 1–5 mm. |
2n | = 120, 124, 132, 138, 156, 161, ca. 208. |
= 56, 64, 96, 112, 144. |
Cardamine maxima |
Cardamine douglassii |
|
Phenology | Flowering Apr–Jun. | Flowering Mar–May. |
Habitat | Rich woods, shady ravines, ledges, moist alluvial bottoms, steep forested slopes, stream banks | Rich woods, bluffs, mesic bottomland forests, rocky hillsides, floodplains, seepage of bogs, springy areas |
Elevation | 50-400 m (200-1300 ft) | |
Distribution |
CT; MA; ME; MI; NJ; NY; OH; PA; VT; NB; ON; QC
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AL; CT; DC; IA; IL; IN; KY; MA; MD; MI; MN; MO; NC; NJ; NY; OH; PA; SC; TN; VA; WI; WV; ON
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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.) |
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Source | FNA vol. 7, p. 477. | FNA vol. 7, p. 473. |
Parent taxa | Brassicaceae > tribe Cardamineae > Cardamine | Brassicaceae > tribe Cardamineae > Cardamine |
Sibling taxa | ||
Synonyms | Dentaria maxima, C. anomala, Dentaria anomala | Arabis rhomboidea var. purpurea, Dentaria douglassii, Dracamine purpurea, Thlaspi tuberosum |
Name authority | (Nuttall) Alph. Wood: Amer. Bot. Fl., 38. (1870) | Britton: Trans. New York Acad. Sci. 9: 8. (1889) |
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