Cardamine douglassii Britton - Purple Spring Cress


 

|  back  | forward |

Cardamine douglassii - (image 1 of 4)

 

Taxonomy

Family: Brassicaceae

Habitat

Moist woods.

Associates

Acer saccharum, Claytonia virginica, Dentaria laciniata, Geranium maculatum, Osmorhiza claytonii, Phlox divaricata, Trillium recurvatum, Ulmus americana, Viola sororia. Erythronium americanum, Euonymus obovatus, Fagus grandifolia, Lindera benzoin, Polygonatum pubescens.

Distribution

NH west to southern MN, south to VA, TN, and MO.

Morphology

Perennial herb to 25 cm from a short, tuber-like rhizome, the rhizome sometimes superficial and becoming green. Leaves ovate, subentire to repand-dentate; upper stem thinly to copiously spreading-pubescent; cauline leaves 3-5; basal leaves usually purplish beneath and often longer than wide. Flowers pink to pale purple or rarely white; sepals purple, becoming brown after anthesis.

Notes

Flowers mid March to Mid June

Wetland indicator: Facultative Wetland

One of the early spring-blooming woodland plants.

References

Gleason, Henry A. and A. Cronquist. 1991. Manual of Vascular Plants of Northeastern United States and Adjacent Canada. Second Ed.

The New York Botanical Garden. Bronx, NY

 

Swink, F. and G. Wilhelm. 1994. Plants of the Chicago Region.
Indiana Academy of Science. The Morton Arboretum. Lisle, Illinois.

 


Home

 

© Michael Hough 2004