Cardamine hirsuta L.
bitter cress
Annual herb. Rhizomes 0. Stems often many from base of plant, suberect, glabrous, straight, green or purplish, 10-25-(40) cm tall. Lvs thin, green, sparsely hairy above and sometimes on petiole. Rosette lvs pinnate, petiolate; terminal leaflet circular, bluntly lobed, truncate to cordate, slightly > laterals; lateral leaflets in (1)-2-3-(4) pairs, ovate, bluntly lobed to entire, truncate to cordate and ± unequal at base; petiolules < leaflets. Cauline lvs pinnate, petiolate; terminal leaflet = to slightly > laterals, obovate to narrow-oblanceolate, cuneate, entire to bluntly lobed; lateral leaflets in 2-3 pairs, obovate, becoming narrow-oblanceolate, truncate becoming cuneate at base, bluntly lobed to entire; petiolules short. Infl. racemose, straight, glabrous, (5)-10-15 cm long. Pedicels glabrous, erecto-patent, (4)-6-10-(13) mm long at fruiting. Sepals sparsely hairy, purplish, pinkish or green, 1-2 × 0.4-0.6 mm; margins scarious. Petals white, erect, spathulate, 2-3 × 0.5-0.8 mm. Stamens 4-(6). Silique pale yellowish green, rarely with purplish valves, erect, (10)-15-20-(25) × 1-1.3 mm; valves glabrous or hairy; style c. 0.5 mm long. Seeds reddish brown, broad-oblong, very narrowly winged, c. 1 mm long.
N.: Auckland, Waikato, Bay of Plenty, East Cape, Manawatu, Horowhenua, Wairarapa, Wellington; S.: Nelson, Marlborough, Canterbury, Otago; St.; Ch.
Europe 1901
Weed of cultivation, waste places and bush remnants.
