CARDAMINE

Cardamine L., Sp. Pl. 654. 1753; Gen. Pl. ed. 5: 222. 1754; Bentham & Hooker. f., Gen. Pl. 1:70.1862; Boiss., Fl. Or. 1:160. 1867; Collett, Fl. Siml. ed. 2: 32. 1921 (Reprint 1980); Hook. f., Fl. Brit. Ind. 1: 137. 1875; Schulz in Engl.& Prantl, Pflanzenfam. ed. 2, 17b: 527. 1936; Fl. China @ eFloras.org 8: 86; Al-Shehbaz et al., Fl. North Amer. @ eFloras.org 7: 464; Fl. Pak. @ eFloras.org p. 166.

Annual, biennial or perennial herbs, glabrous or hairy, hairs simple. Leaves petiolate, pinnately lobed, rarely simple or entire. Racemes usually many flowered, flexuose in fruit; ebracteate. Flowers small to large, white or violet pinkish, rarely yellowish; pedicels filiform, elongating in fruit, erect or upcurved. Sepals 4, equal, inner subsaccate at base. Petals 4, about twice as long as sepals, rarely abortive, obovate, clawed. Stamens 6, tetradynamous, rarely 4 and equal in length. Lateral nectar glands semiannular or annular; middle absent, rarely present. Ovary linear or narrowly oblong, few to many-ovuled; stigma short, simple or bilobed. Siliquas linear, long, compressed, bilocular, dehiscent; bursting suddenly flicking seeds to some distance. Valves smooth (usually opening suddenly and coiling spirally upwards, thus flicking the seeds to some distance); septum membranous; seeds uniseriate, many, oblong or suborbicular, flattened, brown.

263 species

Cardamine flexuosa

Cardamine flexuosa With., Bot. Arr. Brit. Pl. ed. 3. 578. t. 3. 1796; Sharma & Kachroo, Fl. Jammu 1:95.1981; Sharma & Kachroo, Fl. Jammu (Illustr.) 2: t. 11.1983; Singh & Sharma, Fl. Chamba Distt. 160. 2006; Fl. Pak. @ eFloras.org 7: 474; C. hirsuta var. sylvatica auct. non. Link; Hook. f., Fl. Brit. Ind. 1: 138. 1875

Annual herb, 15-30 cm long; erect or procumbent, branched from the base, glabrous or slightly pubescent towards base. Roots fibrous on a short rootstock. Basal leaves loosely rosulate, 2-7-jugate, 2-10 cm long and 1-2.5 cm broad, glabrous or hairy with simple hairs; leaflets ovate-orbicular, 5-7 mm x 2-6 mm, except the terminal one which is larger, ca. 10 mm x 10 mm, subreniform, shortly stalked to sessile, subentire to irregularly few lobulate and toothed. Cauline leaves similar but smaller, 0.5-1.5 cm long, with narrow leaflets. Inflorescence apical corymbose racemes, 10-30-flowered, up to 10 cm long in fruit. Flowers 2-3 mm long and 2.5-4 mm across; pedicels ca. 4-5 mm long. Sepals 4, ca. 2 mm long. Petals 4, longer than calyx, ca. 3 mm long, white. Stamens 6, tetradynamous, shorter filaments ca. 1.25 mm long and longer filaments ca. 2 mm long. Siliquas ca. 2 cm long, linear, compressed, obtuse or pointed, glabrous; valves smooth with a single midvein; style 0.5 mm long or absent; stigma capitate. Seeds uniseriate, ca. 20 in a row; ca. 0.75 mm long, oblong or obovate

Flowering and Fruiting: March to May
Common Names: Wood Bitter Cress, Wavy Bitter Cress