Cardamine pattersonii
Cardamine californica
Saddle Mountain bitter-cress
California toothwort, coast toothwort, milk maids, tooth wort
cylindrical, slender, 0.5–1.5 mm diam.
(tuberiform, fragile), globose to ovoid or suboblong, (3–)4–10 mm diam., (fleshy, deeply underground).
(simple from base), erect, (not flexuous), unbranched or branched basally, 0.6–3 dm.
erect, unbranched, (2–)2.7–6(–7)dm, usually glabrous, rarely pubescent.
rosulate or not, 3 or 5-foliolate, 1–6 cm, leaflets petiolulate;
petiole 0.4–2.5 cm;
lateral leaflets similar to terminal, considerably smaller;
terminal leaflet (petiolule 0.1–0.4 cm), blade obovate to orbicular or subcordate, 0.3–1.5(–2.0) cm × 2.5–16(–18) mm, base obtuse to rounded or cordate, margins entire or dentate to slightly sinuately lobed.
3 (or 5–7)-foliolate, sometimes simple, 8–25(–38) cm, leaflets petiolulate or subsessile;
petiole (5–)8–25(–32) cm;
lateral leaflets (when present) petiolulate to subsessile, blade similar to terminal, sometimes smaller;
terminal leaflet (petiolule (0.7–)2–5(–11) cm), blade (of simple leaf) ovate to orbicular to broadly cordate or reniform, (1.5–)2.5–7.5(–10) cm × (12–)20–90(–130) mm, base obtuse to cordate, margins entire or dentate to shallowly sinuate, (often with apiculae at veins ending at margin, sometimes minutely pubescent on veins).
2–4, 3 or 5-foliolate, blade similar to basal, gradually reduced in size as bract, distalmost ones subtending pedicels of flowers (usually simple);
leaflet blade or bract linear to linear-oblanceolate, 0.2–0.8 cm.
2–5, usually 3 (or 5)-foliolate, rarely simple, petiolate, leaflets petiolulate or sessile;
petiole 1–5(–9) cm, base not auriculate;
lateral leaflets sessile, blade similar to terminal, smaller, margins usually dentate, rarely entire;
terminal leaflet sessile or petiolulate, blade usually broadly ovate to suborbicular or lanceolate, rarely narrowly oblong, 1–7 cm × (5–)10–47(–65) mm.
bracteate throughout.
ebracteate.
sepals oblong, (2–)3 × 0.7(–1) mm, lateral pair not saccate basally;
petals purple or pink, obovate, 6–9 × 3–4 mm, (not clawed);
filaments: median pairs 3–3.5 mm, lateral pair 2–2.5 mm;
anthers oblong, 0.7–1 mm.
sepals (erect to ascending), oblong, 3.5–4.5(–5.5) × 1.5–2(–2.5) mm, lateral pair saccate basally;
petals white to pale rose, often broadly obovate, 8–13(–15) × 4–8 mm (clawed, apex rounded);
filaments: median pairs 4–6.5 mm, lateral pair 3–4 mm;
anthers oblong, 1.2–1.7 mm.
divaricate-ascending, (10–)15–30(–45) mm.
ascending to divaricate, 10–33(–41) mm.
linear, (torulose), 2–3 cm × 1–1.5 mm;
ovules 14–20 per ovary;
style 2–4 mm.
linear, 2.2–5.4(–6) cm × 2–3 mm;
ovules 12–22 per ovary;
style 2–5(–6) mm.
brown, oblong to ovoid, 1.7–2.2 × 1–1.5 mm, (winged distally).
dark brown, oblong to broadly ovoid, 1.7–2.8 × 1.2–1.8 mm.
= 32.
Cardamine pattersonii
Cardamine californica
Of conservation concern.
Cardamine pattersonii is known from Saddle Mountain and Onion Peak in Clastop County.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
The synonymy above suggests that Schulz, Detling, and Rollins did not agree on the characters used or the number and rank of taxa recognized. The taxonomy of this complex is based solely on differences in the number of leaflets, their division, size, and shape, all other aspects of these plants (e.g., rhizomes, flowers, fruits, and seeds) being fairly uniform. Indeed, the infraspecific taxa recognized represent only part of the overall variation in the species, and one is faced with either recognizing poorly defined infraspecific taxa or treating the entire complex as a single polymorphic species. In the absence of thorough biosystematic and molecular studies on this group, we prefer not to recognize any infraspecific taxa.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
OR
Flora NW
PNW Herbaria
WildflowerSearch
iNaturalist
USDA Plants Database
CA
