''Cardamine douglassii'', the limestone bittercress or purple cress, is a
perennial forb native
Native may refer to:
People
* Jus soli, citizenship by right of birth
* Indigenous peoples, peoples with a set of specific rights based on their historical ties to a particular territory
** Native Americans (disambiguation)
In arts and entert ...
to the eastern and central United States as well as the province of
Ontario in Canada,
[ USDA, NRCS. 2014. The PLANTS Database (http://plants.usda.gov). National Plant Data Team, Greensboro, NC 27401-4901 USA.] that produces white to pink or purple flowers in early spring.
Description
''Cardamine douglassii'' has an erect unbranched stem which is 10 to 25 centimeters tall, and sparsely to densely hairy. The basal leaves are simple, heart shaped or round, 5 to 15 centimeters, borne on 4 to 12 centimeter long petioles. There are 3 to 8 oblong to lanceolate leaves on the stem, which are 2 to 5 centimeters long and 5 to 25 millimeters wide. The margins may be smooth or coarsely toothed. Although colors range from purple to a purplish white, it is important to note that entirely white petals are rare among this species. The flowers are borne in a raceme and are typically born in early spring from mid-March to late April. The petals are 7 to 15 millimeters long and 3 to 5 millimeters wide. The fruit is linear, 1.5 to 4 centimeters long and 1.5 to 2 millimeters wide.
Distribution and habitat
''Cardamine douglassii'' is widely distributed in Ontario and the eastern and central United States, although local distribution may be spotty. It ranges from
Massachusetts west to
Ontario,
Minnesota, and
Missouri south as far as
Arkansas,
Alabama, and the
Carolinas
The Carolinas are the U.S. states of North Carolina and South Carolina, considered collectively. They are bordered by Virginia to the north, Tennessee to the west, and Georgia to the southwest. The Atlantic Ocean is to the east.
Combining Nort ...
. ''Cardamine douglassii'' is listed as an
endangered species
An endangered species is a species that is very likely to become extinct in the near future, either worldwide or in a particular political jurisdiction. Endangered species may be at risk due to factors such as habitat loss, poaching and inv ...
by the Commonwealth of
Massachusetts, and as a species of special concern by the State of
Connecticut.
In
Virginia, it grows in habitats such as swamps and forests, generally with base rich soils.
[ Virginia Botanical Associates. (2014). Digital Atlas of the Virginia Flora (http://www.vaplantatlas.org). c/o Virginia Botanical Associates, Blacksburg.] The presence of this species is dependent on appropriate
habitat, and it may be eliminated from an area by development, changes in land use, or competition with
invasive species
An invasive species otherwise known as an alien is an introduced organism that becomes overpopulated and harms its new environment. Although most introduced species are neutral or beneficial with respect to other species, invasive species ad ...
.
References
External links
Photo of herbarium specimen at Missouri Botanical Garden, collected in Missouri in 1935
{{Taxonbar, from=Q15537597
douglassii
Flora of Northern America
Plants described in 1889