SafePlants

Cardamine cordifolia: Heartleaf Bittercress

Cardamine cordifolia, commonly known as Heartleaf Bittercress, Heart-leaved Bittercress, or Large Mountain Bittercress, is a flowering plant belonging to the mustard family.

Taxonomy and Nomenclature

• Scientific Name: Cardamine cordifolia A. Gray
• Family: Brassicaceae (Mustard Family)
• Synonyms:
  • Cardamine cordifolia var. lyallii

Distribution and Habitat

• Heartleaf Bittercress is found in moist, mountainous locations, particularly in the west and southwest USA.
• It grows abundantly along mountain streams.
• Specific locations mentioned include the west slopes of Fields Peak, Malheur NF, Cedar Breaks National Monument, and the Santa Fe Ski Basin in the Santa Fe National Forest.

Morphological Characteristics and Growth Habits

• Heartleaf Bittercress is a forb/herb, a non-woody plant that is not a grass, with green foliage.
• It can grow to be about a foot tall.
• The flowers usually have 4 petals.
• The plant appears as tiny purple stems and leaves just after snow melt and then grows rapidly.
• Grows in huge bushy clumps with large deep-green leaves.
• In the summer, the plant is large in size and 2 m in height and assumes a white coloring.

Interactions with Other Organisms

• Scaptomyza nigrita is a specialist fly that feeds exclusively on Cardamine cordifolia (heartleaf bittercress). The flies also lay their eggs on the plant.
• Heartleaf Bittercress can be found growing alongside mountain bluebells (Mertensia lanceolata).

Further Information

• Discover Life provides information about the biology, natural history, ecology, identification, and distribution of Cardamine cordifolia.
• The USDA-NRCS PLANTS Database contains information about Cardamine cordifolia.
• iNaturalist.org includes observations and information about this plant.
• WildflowersWest has photos.