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Blue Ridge bittercress
Scientific Name: Cardamine flagellifera
Family: Brassicaceae
Category: Dicot
Growth: Forb/herb
Duration: Perennial
Other Names: TN (running bittercress)
Blue Ridge Bittercress (Cardamine flagellifera)
Cardamine flagellifera, commonly known as Blue Ridge Bittercress, is a flowering plant belonging to the genus Cardamine.
Considerations for Pets
- This plant is a forb/herb, a non-woody plant, which could make it attractive to some animals.
Taxonomy and Nomenclature
- Scientific Name: Cardamine flagellifera O.E. Schulz
- Common Name: Blue Ridge Bittercress
- Family: Brassicaceae
- Synonyms: Flagellifera
- Taxonomic Rank: Species; Variety: Cardamine flagellifera O.E. Schulz var. flagellifera
- Other Cardamine Species Mentioned: Cardamine flexuosa, Cardamine hirsuta, Cardamine bulbosa, Cardamine amara, Cardamine clematitis, Cardamine cordifolia, Cardamine fargesiana, Cardamine oligosperma, Cardamine lyallii
Distribution and Habitat
- This plant is often found in the Southern Appalachian/Blue Ridge Mountains.
- Specific locations mentioned include Polk County, South Carolina (on a forested bank above Colt Creek, Pearson's Falls), as well as North Carolina and Tennessee.
- It is also found in the Blue Ridge province of North Carolina in Macon, Jackson, and Swain counties.
- It can form large patches in the Blue Ridge and central Appalachian Mountains.
Morphological Characteristics and Growth Habits
- Blue Ridge Bittercress is a forb/herb.
- Adult species can be large, reaching up to 2 meters in height.
- It is not an evergreen; it loses its leaves and assumes a white coloring during the summer.
Quirky Facts
- Despite its name, some sources claim Blue Ridge Bittercress isn't bitter and has a great flavor.
- Blue Ridge Bittercress is noted to be the first wildflower by the river bottomland.
Further Information
- Discover Life offers a page about the biology, natural history, ecology, identification, and distribution of Cardamine flagellifera.
- iNaturalist and Flickr may contain photos tagged with "Cardamine flagellifera."
- Garden Guides offers facts on plants commonly known as Bittercress.