Cardamine oligosperma
Encyclopedia
Cardamine oligosperma is a species of cardamine
known by the common name little western bittercress. It is native to western North America from Alaska
to California
to Colorado
, where it grows in moist mountain habitats.
. It produces one or more upright, branching stems. The plentiful leaves are divided into many leaflets. The plant generally has a rosette of leaves at the base with leaflets nearly round in shape. The inflorescence
is several centimeters long and bears many flowers with white petals just a few millimeters in length. The fruit is a silique
up to 2.5 centimeters long.
Cardamine
Cardamine , is a large genus in the family Brassicaceae. It contains more than 150 species of annuals and perennials. The genus grows worldwide in diverse habitats, except in the Antarctic. Genus Dentaria is a synonym for Cardamine.The leaves can have different forms, going from minute to...
known by the common name little western bittercress. It is native to western North America from Alaska
Alaska
Alaska is the largest state in the United States by area. It is situated in the northwest extremity of the North American continent, with Canada to the east, the Arctic Ocean to the north, and the Pacific Ocean to the west and south, with Russia further west across the Bering Strait...
to California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
to Colorado
Colorado
Colorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...
, where it grows in moist mountain habitats.
Description
Cardamine oligosperma is an annual or biennial herb growing from a taprootTaproot
A taproot is an enlarged, somewhat straight to tapering plant root that grows vertically downward. It forms a center from which other roots sprout laterally.Plants with taproots are difficult to transplant...
. It produces one or more upright, branching stems. The plentiful leaves are divided into many leaflets. The plant generally has a rosette of leaves at the base with leaflets nearly round in shape. The inflorescence
Inflorescence
An inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a stem that is composed of a main branch or a complicated arrangement of branches. Strictly, it is the part of the shoot of seed plants where flowers are formed and which is accordingly modified...
is several centimeters long and bears many flowers with white petals just a few millimeters in length. The fruit is a silique
Silique
A silique or siliqua is a fruit of 2 fused carpels with the length being more than three times the width. The outer walls of the ovary usually separate when ripe, leaving a persistent partition...
up to 2.5 centimeters long.