Cardamine occidentalis Howell

Big western bittercress (en)

Species

Angiosperms > Brassicales > Brassicaceae > Cardamine

Characteristics

Perennials; glabrous or hirsute. Rhizomes (tuberiform, fragile), ovoid or globose at base of stem, 3-10 mm diam., (fleshy). Stems (simple from base), erect to ascending, (not flexuous), unbranched or branched distally, 1-5 dm, glabrous or pubescent proximally. Basal leaves not rosulate, pinnately compound, (3 or) 5 (or 7)-foliolate, 2-10 cm, leaflets petiolulate or subsessile; petiole 0.5-6.5 cm; lateral leaflets petiolulate or subsessile, blade similar to terminal, ovate, smaller, margins entire; terminal leaflet (petiolule 0.03-0.18 cm), blade orbicular to broadly ovate or subcordate, 0.5-2 cm × 7-25 mm, base cordate to rounded, margins entire or repand, (surfaces glabrous). Cauline leaves 3-7, (3 or) 5 or 7-foliolate (middle ones 5 or 7-foliolate, smaller distally, becoming 3-foliolate), petiolate; petiole 0.5-3 cm, base not auriculate; lateral leaflets similar to terminal, smaller; terminal leaflet blade obovate to oblanceolate, 0.5-2.6 cm × 3-13 mm, margins shallowly toothed, entire, or repand. Racemes ebracteate. Fruiting pedicels divaricate-ascending, 7-18 mm. Flowers: sepals oblong, 1.7-2 × 1-1.2 mm, lateral pair not saccate basally; petals white, oblanceolate, 4-6 × 1.5-2 mm, (not clawed); filaments: median pairs 2-2.5 mm, lateral pair 1-1.5 mm; anthers ovate, 0.3-0.5 mm. Fruits linear, (torulose), 1.5-3.3 cm × 1.7-2.2 mm; (valves glabrous or sparsely pubescent); ovules 18-40 per ovary; style 0.5-1.5 mm. Seeds brown, ovoid, 1-1.6 × 1-1.2 mm. 2n = 64.
Life form perennial
Growth form herb
Growth support -
Foliage retention deciduous
Sexuality hermaphrodite
Pollination -
Spread -
Mature width (meter) -
Mature height (meter) 0.1 - 0.5
Root system rhizome
Rooting depth (meter) -
Root diameter (meter) -
Flower color
Blooming months
JanFebMar
AprMayJun
JulAugSep
OctNovDec
Fruit color -
Fruiting months -
Nitrogen fixer -
Photosynthetic pathway -

Environment

Light 1-6
Soil humidity 5-7
Soil texture 1-2
Soil acidity -
Soil nutriment -
Hardiness (USDA) 4-10

Usage

Uses -
Edible -
Therapeutic use -
Human toxicity -
Animal toxicity -

Cultivation

Mode -
Germination duration (days) -
Germination temperacture (C°) -
Germination luminosity -
Germination treatment -
Minimum temperature (C°) -
Optimum temperature (C°) -
Size -
Vigor -
Productivity -

Distribution

Cardamine occidentalis world distribution map, present in Canada and United States of America

Identifiers

LSID urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:45297-2
WFO ID wfo-0000587258
COL ID R4JZ
BDTFX ID -
INPN ID -
Wikipedia (EN) Link
Wikipedia (FR)

Synonyms

Cardamine neglecta Cardamine occidentalis Cardamine pratensis var. occidentalis