Cardamine concatenata

Perennials; usually sparsely pubescent, sometimes glabrous. Rhizomes (tuberiform, fragile), moniliform, segments fusiform, 2–10(–20) mm diam. (fleshy). Stems erect, unbranched, (1–)2–4(–5.5) dm, glabrous or pubescent distally. Rhizomal leaves 3-foliolate, (7–)10–20(–30) cm, leaflets sessile; petiole (4–)7–18(–25) cm; lateral leaflets similar to terminal, blade sometimes smaller; terminal leaflet blade oblong, lanceolate, oblanceolate, or linear, 2.5–6 cm, base cuneate, margins coarsely dentate to incised, laciniate, or 3-lobed (lobes usually toothed to incised, rarely entire, surfaces puberulent or not, trichomes 0.2–0.3 mm). Cauline leaves (2 or) 3, 3-foliolate (usually whorled or opposite, rarely alternate, similar in morphology to rhizomal leaves), petiolate, leaflets petiolulate or subsessile; petiole (1–)1.5–6(–7.5) cm, base not auriculate; lateral leaflets sessile, blade similar to terminal, sometimes smaller; terminal leaflet subsessile or petiolulate (to 3 cm), blade lanceolate, linear, or oblanceolate, (3–)4–10(–12) cm × (3–)5–20(–25) mm, margins usually coarsely dentate to incised, rarely subentire (margins minutely puberulent). Racemes ebracteate. Fruiting pedicels ascending to divaricate, (6–)10–27(–33) mm. Flowers: sepals oblong, (4–)5–8 × 2–4 mm, lateral pair slightly saccate basally; petals white to pale pink, oblanceolate, (8–)10–20 × (3–)4–7(–9) mm, (short-clawed, apex rounded); filaments: median pairs 8–12 mm, lateral pair 6–8 mm; anthers oblong-linear, 1.5–2.5 mm. Fruits linear-lanceolate, (2–)2.5–3.8(–4.8) cm × 1.5–3 mm; (valves glabrous or sparsely pubescent); ovules 10–14 per ovary; style (2–)5–9(–12) mm. Seeds brown, oblong, 1.6–3 × 1.8–2 mm. 2n = 128–256.

Phenology: Flowering Feb–May.
Habitat: Wooded bottoms and bluffs, rich woods, limestone cliffs and outcrops, rocky banks, mesic forests, moist areas with leaf litter, floodplain woods
Elevation: 0-1000 m

Ont., Que., Ala., Ark., Conn., Del., D.C., Fla., Ga., Ill., Ind., Iowa, Kans., Ky., La., Maine, Md., Mass., Mich., Minn., Miss., Mo., Nebr., N.H., N.J., N.Y., N.C., Ohio, Okla., Pa., S.C., Tenn., Tex., Vt., Va., W.Va., Wis.

Discussion

Selected References

None.

Lower Taxa