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Cardamine pattersonii

Saddle Mountain bitter-cress

rock toothwort, serpentine bittercress

Habit Annuals or perennials; (short-lived); glabrous throughout. Perennials; glabrous.
Rhizomes

cylindrical, slender, 0.5–1.5 mm diam.

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

Stems

(simple from base), erect, (not flexuous), unbranched or branched basally, 0.6–3 dm.

erect, unbranched, 1–3 dm.

Basal leaves

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.

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.

Cauline leaves

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, (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.

Racemes

bracteate throughout.

ebracteate.

Flowers

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 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.

Fruiting pedicels

divaricate-ascending, (10–)15–30(–45) mm.

divaricate to ascending, 7–24 mm.

Fruits

linear, (torulose), 2–3 cm × 1–1.5 mm;

ovules 14–20 per ovary;

style 2–4 mm.

linear, 3.2–5.4 cm × 2.2–4 mm;

ovules 10–14 per ovary;

style 4–7 mm.

Seeds

brown, oblong to ovoid, 1.7–2.2 × 1–1.5 mm, (winged distally).

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

Cardamine pattersonii

Cardamine pachystigma

Phenology Flowering May–Jun. Flowering Mar–May.
Habitat Moist mossy cliffs, rocky slopes, mossy banks Forests, lava slides, talus, cliffs
Elevation 800-900 m (2600-3000 ft) 700-2900 m (2300-9500 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
OR
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
CA
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

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.)

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. 480.
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. pachystigma, C. parviflora, 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. 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
Synonyms Dentaria californica var. pachystigma, C. californica var. pachystigma, Dentaria corymbosa var. grata, Dentaria pachystigma
Name authority L. F. Henderson: Rhodora 32: 25. (1930) (S. Watson) Rollins: Harvard Pap. Bot. 1(4): 45. (1993)
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