Cardamine oligosperma

Torrey & A. Gray  

 

Brassicaceae (Mustard Family)

 

Native

 

Few-seeded Bitter-cress                                                         

                                         March Photo

 

Plant Characteristics:  Annual or biennial from a slender taproot; stems glabrous to hispidulous, 1-3 dm. high; lvs. thin, with sparse white hairs on upper surface, frequently in a basal rosette and cauline, 5-11 foliolate, 2-9 cm. long; lfts. of rosette round to ovate, crenately 3-5 lobed, 3-9 mm. long, those of upper lvs. usually more elongate, oblanceolate to narrow-ovate, 4-15 mm. long; raceme 2-10 fld.; fruiting pedicels ascending to sub-erect, 3-7 mm. long; sepals ca. 1 mm. long; petals white, ca. 2 mm. long; siliques erect, 1.2-2 cm. long, 1-1.5 mm. wide, 8-28 seeded, seeds in 1 row in each locule; style less than 1 mm. long; stigma slightly 2-lobed; seeds winged.

 

Habitat:  Moist open woods or canyons, occasionally in more open places, below 3000 ft.; Chaparral, S. Oak Wd.; Yellow Pine F., etc.; Los Angeles Co. n. to B.C.  March-July.

 

Name: Cardamine, Greek for a cress with medicinal uses.  (Hickman, Ed. 407).  Greek, oligos, few, small, and Greek, sperma, seed.  (Jaeger 173, 243).  Oligosperma, few  seeded.

 

General:  Common in the study area.  First found at the southerly end of the Eastbluff burn area, but later found in many places on the easterly side of the Bay.  Photographed in the burn area.  It is interesting that I did not find this plant until February 1995 and then found it again two days later in another spot.  The life span of this plant is relatively short and it blooms early with respect to other Brassicaceae, which may be the reasons I have not found it sooner.  (my comments).    Few people think of our California native plants as weeds, however, a few when grown beyond their native ranges can become serious weeds.  Cardamine oligosperma is one native that has become a weed throughout the California floristic province.  (O’Brien, Bart C. “THE INTERSECTION OF CONSERVATION AND GARDENING: AN OVERVIEW OF THE CONSEQUENCES OF GROWING CALIFORNIA NATIVE PLANTS” FREMONTIA, A Journal of the California Native Plant Society Vol. 29, No. 1 January 2001 pp. 16-23).         About 170 species, most of temp. parts of the world.  (Hickman, Ed. 407). 

 

Text Ref:  Munz, Flora So. Calif. 281; Hickman, Ed. 408; Roberts 15.

Photo Ref:  Mar 95 # 2,3; Jan-Mar 96 # 21.

Identity: by R. De Ruff, confirmed by John Johnson.  

First Found:  May 1995.

 

Computer Ref:  Plant Data 472.

Have plant specimen.

Last edit 4/8/05.

 

                                             March Photo