spring cress
(Cardamine bulbosa)
Conservation • Wetland • Description • Habitat • Ecology • Use • Distribution • Taxonomy
Conservation Status |
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| IUCN Red List | not listed |
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| NatureServe | NNR - Unranked SNR - Unranked |
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| Minnesota | not listed |
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Wetland Indicator Status |
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| Great Plains | OBL - Obligate wetland |
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| Midwest | OBL - Obligate wetland |
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| Northcentral & Northeast | OBL - Obligate wetland |
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Description |
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Spring cress is a 10″ to 40″ tall, erect, perennial forb that rises on 1 or more stems from a knobby caudex and fibrous roots that produce small tubers. The stems are erect, hairless, green, purplish at the base, and unbranched or branched near the top. Basal leaves are oval to round, 1″ to 2″ long, 1″ to 1⅛″ wide, hairless, unlobed, and straight across ar tapered at the base. The margins are untoothed, slightly wavy, and sometimes hairy. They are on leaf stalks that are up to 2¾″ long and purplish. They are usually withered by the time the plant is in flower. There are 4 to 14 alternate stem leaves. They are oblong to lance-shaped, smaller than the basal leaves, unlobed, and sometimes hairy. The margins are sometimes coarsely toothed. They are mostly stalkless. The inflorescence is an unbranched, elongated cluster (raceme) at the end of the stem. As the plant matures the raceme elongates, ultimately up to 6″ long, with the flowers crowded at the top and the fruits widely spaced below. The flowers are about ½″ wide. There are 4 green, ⅛″ long, hairless sepals that turn yellow with age, 4 white, ¼″ to ½″ long, unlobed petals, and 4 long and 2 short stamens. Each flower is on a ½″ to ¾″ long, slender, hairless stalk. The flowers are sometimes fragrant. The fruit is a ¾″ to 1⅛″ long, narrow, somewhat flattened, ascending to erect pod. When mature the pod splits and the two sides fall away leaving the transparent interior partition attached to the plant. |
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Height |
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10″ to 40″ |
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Flower Color |
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White |
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Similar Species |
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Cuckoo flower (Cardamine pratensis) has pinnately divided leaves. Purple cress (Cardamine douglasii) has a stem that is hairy at the base. The sepals are hairy and turn dark purple with age. The petals are tinted purplish-pink. |
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Habitat |
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Wet to moist. Woods, meadows, shallow water. |
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Ecology |
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Flowering |
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April to June |
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Pests and Diseases |
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Defense Mechanisms |
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This and other mustards (family Brassicaceae) produce chemical compounds when cells are damaged that are toxic to most animals, fungi, and bacteria. |
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Use |
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Distribution |
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Sources |
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| 4/6/2023 | ||||
Nativity |
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Native |
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Occurrence |
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Taxonomy |
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| Kingdom | Plantae (green algae and land plants) | ||
| Subkingdom | Viridiplantae (green plants) | ||
| Infrakingdom | Streptophyta (land plants and green algae) | ||
| Superdivision | Embryophyta (land plants) | ||
| Division | Tracheophyta (vascular plants) | ||
| Subdivision | Spermatophytina (seed plants) | ||
| Class | Magnoliopsida (flowering plants) | ||
| Superorder | Rosanae | ||
Order |
Brassicales (mustards, capers, and allies) | ||
Family |
Brassicaceae (mustard) | ||
| Tribe | Cardamineae | ||
Genus |
Cardamine (bittercresses) | ||
Subordinate Taxa |
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Synonyms |
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Arabis bulbosa Arabis rhomboidea Cardamine rhomboidea |
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Common Names |
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bulb bittercress bulbous bitter-cress bulbous bittercress spring cress spring-cress |
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Glossary
Caudex
A short, thickened, woody, persistent enlargement of the stem, at or below ground level, used for water storage.
Raceme
An unbranched, elongated inflorescence with stalked flowers. The flowers mature from the bottom up.
Sepal
An outer floral leaf, usually green but sometimes colored, at the base of a flower.
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Wayne Rasmussen |
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MinnesotaSeasons.com Photos |
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Visitor Sightings |
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| Wayne Rasmussen 5/31/2016 |
Location: Nerstrand Big Woods State Park |
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MinnesotaSeasons.com Sightings |
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