Common name: Wood Bittercress
Cardamine flexuosa With. APNI* 
Description: Annual herb, rarely perennial in Australia, to 50 cm high, erect, sparsely hirsute, the taproot not persistent.
Basal leaves pinnate with 3–6 pairs of narrow-ovate to reniform pinnae, variable, petiolate; stem leaves reducing; pinnae sparsely hairy.
Sepals c. 1.5 mm long, green to violet with narrow white margins. Petals c. 3 mm long, white. Stamens usually 6. Siliqua 10–25 mm long, often overtopping inflorescence; pedicels erect to spreading, slender, curved, 5–13 mm long.
Siliqua 10–25 mm long, often overtopping inflorescence; pedicels erect to spreading, slender, curved, 5–13 mm long.
Distribution and occurrence: Widespread, weed in moist garden sites. Native of Eur.
NSW subdivisions: *CC, *CT
Cardamine aff. flexuosa occurs predominately in urban areas or areas close to human habitation and is sufficiently different to C. flexuosa to warrant taxonomic recognition, and is included in the key separately, as it is often misidentified as C. paucijuga. It is mainly evident in garden beds and in the plant nurseries. It has been recorded from nurseries in Melbourne, Canberra, Perth and Sydney.
Text by G. J. Harden & L. Murray
Taxon concept: Flora of NSW 1 Suppl. (1999)
APNI* Provides a link to the Australian Plant Name Index (hosted by the Australian National Botanic Gardens) for comprehensive bibliographic data
***The AVH map option provides a detailed interactive Australia wide distribution map drawn from collections held by all major Australian herbaria participating in the Australian Virtual Herbarium project.
|
