Cardamine hirsuta L.
hairy bitter-cress
Brassicaceae (Mustard family)

Introduction to Vascular Plants

Photograph

© Rosemary Taylor     (Photo ID #24291)


Map

E-Flora BC Static Map

Distribution of Cardamine hirsuta
Click here to view the full interactive map and legend

Species Information

General:
Annual herb from slender taproot; stems usually solitary, stiff, 5-30 cm tall, usually glabrous.
Leaves:
Basal leaves in compact rosettes, compound, stalked, hairy-fringed, pinnate with 2-3 or more pairs of egg-shaped to orbicular leaflets and a larger, somewhat kidney-shaped terminal leaflet; stem leaves few, almost unstalked, with smaller, narrower leaflets; all leaflets wavy-margined to shallowly few-lobed, sparsely stiff-hairy above and on the margins.
Flowers:
Inflorescence a simple raceme; flower stalks ascending, 5-10 mm long; petals white, narrow, 1.5-2 mm long; sepals half as long as petals, greenish-violet with narrow white margins; stamens 4.
Fruits:
Siliques, erect, 1.8-2.5 cm long, about 1 mm wide; styles 0.5-2 (6) mm long; seeds 22-36.

SourceThe Illustrated Flora of British Columbia

Illustration

If more than one illustration is available for a species (e.g., separate illustrations were provided for two subspecies) then links to the separate images will be provided below. Note that individual subspecies or varietal illustrations are not always available.

Habitat and Range

Mesic to dry waste places, roadsides and open woods in the lowland zone; frequent in SW BC; introduced from Eurasia.

SourceThe Illustrated Flora of British Columbia