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rock toothwort, serpentine bittercress

Blue Ridge bittercress

Habit Perennials; glabrous. Perennials; hirsute or pilose proximally, sparsely pubescent or glabrous distally.
Rhizomes

ovoid to oblong, (3–)4–18 mm diam., (fleshy, deeply underground).

swollen, compact at stem base, (fleshy, stolons many, slender, ca. 1 mm diam., pubescent or glabrous).

Stems

erect, unbranched, 1–3 dm.

erect, usually unbranched, rarely branched distally, 1–2.5 dm, sparsely to densely hirsute or pilose proximally, sparsely so or glabrous distally.

Rhizomal leaves

simple, 1.2–2.3 cm;

petiole 6.7–19.5 cm;

blade orbicular to reniform, or cordate to broadly ovate, 2.7–5.5 cm × 30–68 mm, base cordate to subtruncate, margins with obtuse teeth terminating in apiculae.

usually simple, rarely 3-foliolate, (3–)6–16 cm, leaflets petiolulate or subsessile;

petiole (1.5–)4–13 cm;

lateral leaflets subsessile or petiolulate (to 0.5 cm), blade similar to terminal, much smaller;

terminal leaflet (petiolule 0.5–2 cm), blade orbicular to reniform or broadly ovate, (1–)1.5–4.5 cm, base cordate, margins repand to coarsely crenate, (apiculate at vein endings, surfaces sparsely pubescent or glabrous).

Cauline leaves

2–5, (crowded distally), simple;

petiole 0.3–2.6 cm, base not auriculate;

blade similar to basal, 1.8–5.5 cm × 12–47mm, base cuneate or obtuse to subcordate, marginal teeth apiculate.

2–5, 3 or 5-foliolate, petiolate, leaflets petiolulate or subsessile;

petiole 0.8–5 cm, base not auriculate;

lateral leaflets sessile or petiolulate (to 0.5 cm), blade similar to terminal, smaller;

terminal leaflet petiolulate (0.5–1.5 cm), blade broadly ovate to suborbicular, 1.5–4(–5) cm × 12–35 mm, margins repand to coarsely crenate or slightly lobed, (apiculate at vein endings, margins glabrous).

Racemes

ebracteate.

ebracteate.

Flowers

sepals oblong, 4–7 × 2–2.5 mm, lateral pair saccate basally;

petals usually pink or purple, rarely white, obovate to oblanceolate, 14–18 × 5–7 mm, (claw to 9 mm, apex rounded);

filaments: median pairs 7–8 mm, lateral pair 5.5–6.5 mm;

anthers oblong, ca. 1.5 mm.

sepals (ascending) oblong, 3–3.5 × 1–1.5 mm, lateral pair not saccate basally;

petals white, oblanceolate, 5–6.5(–8) × 1.5–2.5 mm, (not clawed, apex obtuse to subemarginate);

filaments: median pairs 3.5–5 mm, lateral pair 2.5–3 mm;

anthers oblong, 1.2–1.6 mm.

Fruiting pedicels

divaricate to ascending, 7–24 mm.

ascending to divaricate-ascending, 7–20 mm.

Fruits

linear, 3.2–5.4 cm × 2.2–4 mm;

ovules 10–14 per ovary;

style 4–7 mm.

linear, 1.5–2.5 cm × 1–1.2 mm;

ovules 10–14 per ovary;

style 1.2–2.5 mm.

Seeds

brown, broadly ovoid, 2–2.8 × 1.8–2.5 mm.

brown, oblong, 1.2–1.7 × 0.8–1.1 mm.

Cardamine pachystigma

Cardamine flagellifera

Phenology Flowering Mar–May. Flowering Mar–Jun.
Habitat Forests, lava slides, talus, cliffs Moist wooded slopes, gorges, wooded ravines, seepage places
Elevation 700-2900 m (2300-9500 ft) 300-1000 m (1000-3300 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
CA
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
GA; NC; SC; TN; WV
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Cardamine pachystigma is known from the disjunct counties of Plumas, Tehama, and Tulare.

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

Source FNA vol. 7, p. 480. FNA vol. 7, p. 474.
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. hirsuta, C. holmgrenii, C. impatiens, C. longii, C. macrocarpa, C. maxima, C. micranthera, C. microphylla, C. nuttallii, C. nymanii, C. occidentalis, C. oligosperma, 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. clematitis, C. concatenata, C. constancei, C. cordifolia, C. digitata, C. diphylla, C. dissecta, C. douglassii, 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
Synonyms Dentaria californica var. pachystigma, C. californica var. pachystigma, Dentaria corymbosa var. grata, Dentaria pachystigma C. flagellifera var. hugeri, C. hugeri
Name authority (S. Watson) Rollins: Harvard Pap. Bot. 1(4): 45. (1993) O. E. Schulz: Bot. Jahrb. Syst. 32: 405. (1903)
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