Cardamine rotundifolia Michx.

American bittercress (en)

Species

Angiosperms > Brassicales > Brassicaceae > Cardamine

Characteristics

Perennials; glabrous throughout. Rhizomes slender, to 2 mm diam. Stems usually procumbent, sometimes erect, (not flexuous), unbranched or branched, (1-) 1.5-3(-5) dm. Rhizomal leaves absent. Basal leaves (soon withered), not rosulate. Cauline leaves 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 ebracteate. Fruiting pedicels divaricate to ascending, (6-)10-15(-20) mm. Flowers: 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. Fruits 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, 0.9-1.1 × 0.5-0.6 mm.
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Stems weak, decumbent or ascending from a long, slender rhizome, emitting stolons with small lvs; larger lvs often with 1 or 2 small lateral lobes on the petiole; cauline lvs mostly petiolate, ovate to rotund, rounded to subcordate at base; pet white, 6–8 mm; raceme and pedicels elongating after anthesis, the pedicels to 1–2 cm; frs divergent or ascending, 1–2 cm, the beak 2.5–3 mm. Wet soil, swamps, or running water; N.Y. and O. to N.C. and Ky. May, June.
A cabbage family herb. It forms mats. It has leafy runners. The flowers are white.
Life form perennial
Growth form herb
Growth support aquatic
Foliage retention deciduous
Sexuality hermaphrodite
Pollination entomogamy
Spread -
Mature width (meter) 0.5
Mature height (meter) 0.3
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

Cold springs and brooksides.
More
It is a temperate plant.
Light 3-8
Soil humidity 5-10
Soil texture 1-4
Soil acidity 3-7
Soil nutriment -
Hardiness (USDA) 5-8

Usage

The young and tender leaves are eaten raw in salads. The older leaves are cooked and eaten.
Uses -
Edible leaves
Therapeutic use -
Human toxicity -
Animal toxicity -

Cultivation

Can be grown by seedlings.
Mode seedlings
Germination duration (days) -
Germination temperacture (C°) -
Germination luminosity -
Germination treatment -
Minimum temperature (C°) -
Optimum temperature (C°) -
Size -
Vigor -
Productivity -

Distribution

Cardamine rotundifolia world distribution map, present in United States of America

Identifiers

LSID urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:280632-1
WFO ID wfo-0000587485
COL ID R4MF
BDTFX ID -
INPN ID 772491
Wikipedia (EN)
Wikipedia (FR)

Synonyms

Cardamine rotundifolia Dentaria rotundifolia Cardamine rotundifolia var. diversifolia