Cardamine pachystigma
Encyclopedia
Cardamine pachystigma is a species of cardamine
known by the common name serpentine bittercress. It is endemic to California
, where it grows in rocky mountainous areas, often on serpentine
and volcanic soils.
s, each stem erect to about 30 centimeters in height. The leaves are generally made up of several leaflets which are oval to round, thick and fleshy, and several centimeters long. The inflorescence
produces pink or purple flowers with petals up to a centimeter long. The fruit is a silique
up to 6 centimeters in length.
There are two varieties of this species. The rarer, var. dissectifolia, the dissected-leaf toothwort, is an uncommon plant found scattered around the rim of the Sacramento Valley
and coastal mountains to the west.
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 serpentine bittercress. It is endemic 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...
, where it grows in rocky mountainous areas, often on serpentine
Serpentine soil
A serpentine soil is derived from ultramafic rocks, in particular serpentinite, a rock formed by the hydration and metamorphic transformation of ultramafic rock from the Earth's mantle....
and volcanic soils.
Description
Cardamine pachystigma is a hairless perennial herb producing stems from tiny rhizomeRhizome
In botany and dendrology, a rhizome is a characteristically horizontal stem of a plant that is usually found underground, often sending out roots and shoots from its nodes...
s, each stem erect to about 30 centimeters in height. The leaves are generally made up of several leaflets which are oval to round, thick and fleshy, and several centimeters long. 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...
produces pink or purple flowers with petals up to a centimeter long. 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 6 centimeters in length.
There are two varieties of this species. The rarer, var. dissectifolia, the dissected-leaf toothwort, is an uncommon plant found scattered around the rim of the Sacramento Valley
Sacramento Valley
The Sacramento Valley is the portion of the California Central Valley that lies to the north of the San Joaquin-Sacramento Delta in the U.S. state of California. It encompasses all or parts of ten counties.-Geography:...
and coastal mountains to the west.