Cardamine maxima
Cardamine umbellata
large toothwort
Siberian bittercress, umbel bitter-cress, umbellate bittercress
cylindrical, 3–6 mm diam., (distinctly constricted at intervals, non-uniform diam., fleshy, slightly fragile, with dentate leaf scars).
often elongated, usually slender, rarely thickened, 1–2(–5) mm diam., (not fleshy).
erect, unbranched, 0.9–3(–4) dm.
(simple or few to several from base), erect to ascending, (not flexuous), unbranched basally, sometimes branched distally, (0.3–)0.8–2.5(–3) dm.
(sometimes withered by anthesis), rosulate, pinnately compound, (3 or) 5 or 7 (or 9)-foliolate, 2–5(–9) cm, leaflets petiolulate or subsessile;
lateral leaflets shortly petiolulate or subsessile, blade usually broadly ovate, rarely broadly obovate or orbicular, smaller than terminal, margins usually entire, rarely slightly 3 (or 5)-lobed or crenate;
terminal leaflet subsessile, blade reniform or orbicular, 0.4–0.8(–1.2) cm × 5–9(–16) mm, margins entire or 3 (or 5)-lobed or crenate.
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).
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.
3–5(–7), 3–7 (or 9)-foliolate, petiolate, leaflets subsessile or sessile;
base not auriculate;
lateral leaflets: blade narrowly obovate, oblanceolate to linear, margins similar to terminal;
terminal leaflet blade narrowly obovate, ovate, oblanceolate, lanceolate, oblong, margins usually entire, sometimes 3-lobed or crenate.
ebracteate.
ebracteate, (subumbellate, 2–8(–14)-flowered, rachis usually 3–20 mm).
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 (greenish or purplish), oblong, 1–2 × 0.5–1 mm, lateral pair not saccate basally;
petals white, narrowly obovate, 2.5–5 × 1–3 mm.
(flowering ones) horizontal to divaricate or deflexed, 7–20 mm.
suberect to ascending, 3–8(–10) mm.
(undeveloped), linear-lanceolate, to 3 cm × 2 mm;
ovules 10–14 per ovary;
style 3.5–7 mm.
linear, (torulose), (1.3–)1.8–2.5(–3) cm × 0.8–1.5(–2) mm; (valves glabrous or sparsely pubescent);
style 0.5–2 mm.
not known.
brown, oblong, 1–1.5 × 0.8–1 mm.
= 120, 124, 132, 138, 156, 161, ca. 208.
= 32, 36, 48.
Cardamine maxima
Cardamine umbellata
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.)
Recent molecular data (J. Lihová et al. 2006) indicate that Cardamine umbellata, often treated as a variety of C. oligosperma, represents a distinct lineage more closely related to taxa from New Zealand; this does not exclude C. oligosperma as one of the possible parents of this polyploid.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
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