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Blue Ridge bittercress
Scientific Name: Cardamine flagellifera var. flagellifera
Family: Brassicaceae
Category: Dicot
Growth: Forb/herb
Duration: Perennial
Other Names:
Blue Ridge Bittercress (Cardamine flagellifera)
Cardamine flagellifera, commonly known as Blue Ridge Bittercress, is a flowering plant found in the Southern Appalachian/Blue Ridge Mountains. It is a forb/herb, meaning it's a non-woody plant that is not a grass.
Taxonomy and Nomenclature
- Scientific Name: Cardamine flagellifera O.E. Schulz
- Common Name: Blue Ridge Bittercress
- Family: Brassicaceae (Mustard Family)
- Taxonomic Status: Accepted
- Synonyms: Large-flowered Blue Ridge Bittercress
Distribution and Habitat
- Native to the Southern Appalachian/Blue Ridge Mountains.
- Observed in locations such as Polk County, South Carolina, specifically on a forested bank above Colt Creek, Pearson's Falls.
- Found in the Blue Ridge province of North Carolina in Macon, Jackson, and Swain counties.
Morphological Characteristics
- Reaches a height of approximately 2 meters.
- Not an evergreen, losing its foliage.
- In the summer it assumes a white coling.
Ecological Role
- Blue Ridge Bittercress is one of the first wildflowers by the river bottomland.
Quirky Facts
- Despite the name "bittercress," some sources claim it doesn't taste bitter and has a great flavor.
Further Information
- Discover Life's page provides information about the biology, natural history, ecology, identification and distribution of Cardamine flagellifera.