Cardamine occidentalis (S. Watson ex B.L. Rob.) Howell
western bitter-cress (big western bittercress)
Brassicaceae (Mustard family)
Introduction to Vascular Plants
western bitter-cress (big western bittercress)
Brassicaceae (Mustard family)
Introduction to Vascular Plants
Species Information
General:
Perennial herb from a short, slender rhizome; stems 1-1.5 mm thick, enlarged and tuberous near base of leafy stems, 20-40 cm tall, simple to freely branched, erect to decumbent and rooting at nodes, glabrous to sparsely hairy.
Leaves:
Basal leaves few, slender-stalked, pinnate, lateral lobes (2) 4-6, egg-shaped to heart-shaped, short-stalked to unstalked, 3-8 mm long, generally entire, terminal lobe 1-2 cm long, shallowly wavy-margined; stem leaves several, upper ones unstalked to nearly unstalked, fewer lateral lobes, narrowly egg-shaped to linear, mostly 1-2 cm long, entire or slightly toothed, terminal leaflet egg- to wedge-shaped, 1.5-3 cm long.
Flowers:
Inflorescence an elongate raceme, without bracts; flower stalks ascending, 10-15 mm long; petals white, 3.5-5 mm long; sepals 1-2 (2.5) mm long.
Fruits:
Siliques, erect, 2-3 cm long, 1-1.5 mm wide; styles about 1 mm long.
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.
Illustration Source: The Illustrated Flora of British Columbia
Ecology
Ecological Framework for Cardamine occidentalis
The table below shows the species-specific information calculated from
original data (BEC database) provided by the BC Ministry of Forests and Range.
(Updated August, 2013)
The table below shows the species-specific information calculated from
original data (BEC database) provided by the BC Ministry of Forests and Range.
(Updated August, 2013)
| Site Information |
Value / Class |
||
|
Avg |
Min |
Max |
|
| Elevation
(metres) |
619 | 5 | 1530 |
| Slope
Gradient (%) |
11 | 0 | 85 |
|
Aspect (degrees) |
56 | 18 | 360 |
| Soil
Moisture Regime (SMR) [0 - very xeric; 4 - mesic; 8 - hydric] |
5 | 1 | 7 |
| Modal
Nutrient Regime
Class |
D | ||
| #
of field plots species was recorded in: |
47 | ||
| Modal
BEC Zone Class |
CDF | ||
|
All BEC Zones (# of stations/zone) species was recorded in |
CDF(13), CWH(11), ESSF(3), ICH(7), IDF(1), MH(4), MS(1), SBS(7) | ||
|
Source:
Klinkenberg 2013
|
|||
Habitat and Range
Wet to moist streambanks and lakeshores in the lowland zone; infrequent in SW BC; N to AK and S to CA.Status Information
Synonyms
Synonyms and Alternate Names:
Cardamine pratensis var. occidentalis S. Watson ex B.L. Rob.