Flora of North America species comparison

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Cardamine pattersonii

Cardamine rotundifolia
Cardamine pattersonii

Saddle Mountain bitter-cress

American bittercress, mountain watercress
Habit Annuals or perennials; (short-lived); glabrous throughout. Perennials; glabrous throughout.
Rhizomes

cylindrical, slender, 0.5–1.5 mm diam.

slender, to 2 mm diam.
Stems

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

usually procumbent, sometimes erect, (not flexuous), unbranched or branched, (1–)1.5–3(–5) 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.

(soon withered), not rosulate.
Rhizomal leaves

absent.
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.

simple, petiolate;

petiole (0.3–)0.5–2.5(–4) cm, base not auriculate;

blade oblong, ovate, suborbicular, or cordate, (0.5–)1–4.5(–5.5) cm × (5–)10–40(–54) mm, base cordate, rounded, or truncate, margins entire, repand, or sinuate, (distally with shorter petiole, blade smaller).
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, 2–3 × 1–1.7 mm, lateral pair not saccate basally;

petals white, broadly oblanceolate, spreading, 5–7(–8) × 2–3 mm, (not clawed, apex rounded);

filaments: median pairs 3.5–4.5 mm, lateral pair 2.7–3.5 mm;

anthers oblong, 0.8–1.2 mm.
Fruiting pedicels

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

divaricate to ascending, (6–)10–15(–20) mm.
Fruits

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

ovules 14–20 per ovary;

style 2–4 mm.

linear, (torulose), 1–1.5(–2) cm × 0.8–1.1 mm;

ovules 40–80 per ovary;

style 1.5–2.5 mm.
Seeds

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

brown, oblong to ovoid, 0.9–1.1 × 0.5–0.6 mm.

Cardamine pattersonii

Cardamine rotundifolia
Phenology Flowering May–Jun. Flowering Apr–Jun.
Habitat Moist mossy cliffs, rocky slopes, mossy banks Stream banks, swamps, low woodland, wet rocky areas, seepage areas
Elevation 800-900 m (2600-3000 ft) 150-400 m (500-1300 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
OR
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
DE; GA; KY; MD; NC; NJ; NY; OH; PA; TN; VA; WV
[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.)
Source FNA vol. 7, p. 480. FNA vol. 7, p. 483.
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. pachystigma, C. parviflora, C. pattersonii, C. penduliflora, C. pensylvanica, C. pratensis, C. purpurea, C. rupicola, C. umbellata
Synonyms Dentaria rotundifolia
Name authority L. F. Henderson: Rhodora 32: 25. (1930) Michaux: Fl. Bor.-Amer. 2: 30. (1803)
Web links 
Unless otherwise noted, all data comes from the online version of the Flora of North America, who have made most of their content available via a Creative Commons license (CC BY 4.0).



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