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purple bittercress
Scientific Name: Cardamine purpurea
Family: Brassicaceae
Category: Dicot
Growth: Forb/herb
Duration: Perennial
Other Names:
Cardamine: Bittercress
Cardamine, commonly known as bittercress or bitter-cress, is a large genus of flowering plants belonging to the mustard family.
Considerations for Pets
- A "Safe Plant Rating" suggests that Purple Bittercress is not considered safe for dogs or cats.
Considerations for Children
- A "Safe Plant Rating" indicates that Purple Bittercress is not considered safe for children.
Taxonomy and Nomenclature
- Scientific Name: Cardamine
- Common Names: Bittercress, Bitter-cress
- Family: Brassicaceae (also referred to as Cruciferae)
- Synonyms/Related Species:
- Cardamine douglassii (Limestone Bitter Cress, Purple Bitter Cress)
- Cardamine purpurea (Purple Bittercress)
- Cardamine bulbosa (Bulbous Bittercress)
- Cardamine bellidifolia (Alpine Bittercress)
- Cardamine oligosperma (Shotweed)
- Cardamine flexuosa (Wavey Bittercress)
- Cardamine hirsuta (Hairy Bittercress)
Morphological Characteristics
- Minute to medium-sized flowers that can be white, pink, or purple.
- Stamens usually number 6, with 4 long and 2 short; anthers may be dark purple.
- Lower leaves can be rounded and sometimes purple on the underside.
- Basal petioles may have long hairs along their margins and can be dull purple.
- Some species have reddish to purple stems.
- Hairy Bittercress can have rounded, purple-brown or black bulbils in the axils of the leaves.
- Hairy Bittercress has erect stems about 3 to 9 inches tall and the base stems are square in cross section and green or purple in color.
Distribution and Habitat
- Cosmopolitan distribution, except for Antarctica.
- Cardamine hirsuta (Hairy Bittercress) is native to Europe.
- Cardamine douglassii (Pink bitter-cress) is native to eastern North America, specifically found in Connecticut and Massachusetts.
Additional Information
- Mentioned as a weed, specifically, Hairy Bittercress is referred to as one of the most powerful of seed-spreading weeds.
Resources and Further Information
- Discover Life offers information about the biology, natural history, ecology, identification, and distribution of Cardamine purpurea.
- NatureWatch NZ may have photos tagged "Cardamine purpurea".