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Western Wetland Flora

Field Office Guide to Plant Species

Few-seed Bitter-cress
Cardamine oligosperma Nutt.

JPG -- Species Photo JPG -- Distribution Map

Family: Mustard (Cruciferae)
Flowering: March-July
Field Marks: This bitter-cress differs from all others by being an annual with white petals up to 1/8 inch long and at least some of the leaflets nearly spherical.
Habitat: Moist woods.
Habit: Annual (less commonly biennial) herb with a taproot.
Stems: Upright, usually unbranched, up to 20 inches tall, with short, spreading hairs or smooth.
Leaves: Mostly basal in a rosette, with a few alternate leaves on the stem, pinnately compound with 5-11 leaflets, the leaflets oval to nearly round, up to 1/3 inch long, with or without lobes or teeth, short-hairy or smooth, on distinct stalks; leaflets of stem leaves much narrower.
Flowers: 2-10 in a terminal raceme, without bracts.
Sepals: 4, green, free from each other, up to 1/24 inch long.
Petals: 4, white, free from each other, spatulate, up to 1/8 inch long.
Stamens: 6.
Pistils: Ovary superior.
Fruits: Pods very upright, elongated, very narrow, up to 1 inch long; seeds winged.
Notes: The leaves are sometimes browsed by deer.

Previous Species -- Brewer's Bitter-cress (Cardamine breweri)
Return to Species List -- Group 6
Next Species -- Western Water-hemlock (Cicuta douglasii)

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URL: http://www.npwrc.usgs.gov/resource/plants/florawe/species/6/cardolig.htm
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Page Last Modified: Thursday, 03-Aug-2006 11:39:25 EDT
Menlo Park, CA [caww54]