''Cardamine pensylvanica'' is a species of ''
Cardamine
''Cardamine'' is a large genus of flowering plants in the mustard family, Brassicaceae, known as bittercresses and toothworts. It contains more than 200 species of annuals and perennials. Species in this genus can be found worldwide, except the ...
'' known by the common name Pennsylvania bittercress. It is native to most of Canada and the United States from coast to coast.
Ecology and description
It is generally found in moist to wet areas, such as the mud on riverbanks. It is a
biennial herb
In general use, herbs are a widely distributed and widespread group of plants, excluding vegetables and other plants consumed for macronutrients, with savory or aromatic properties that are used for flavoring and garnishing food, for medicinal ...
producing one or more erect or leaning, branching stems which are purple to green in color and grow tall. The leaves are hairless and divided into several rounded to oval lobes, each of which has one or two lobes, with the exception of the large terminal leaflet at the tip, which generally has three. Most of the leaves are located along the stem and there is no basal rosette. The
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. Morphologically, it is the modified part of the shoot of seed plants where flowers are formed o ...
comprises many flowers, each with four white
petal
Petals are modified Leaf, leaves that surround the reproductive parts of flowers. They are often advertising coloration, brightly colored or unusually shaped to attract pollinators. All of the petals of a flower are collectively known as the ''c ...
s a few millimeters long,
blossoming from April to October. The
fruit
In botany, a fruit is the seed-bearing structure in flowering plants that is formed from the ovary after flowering.
Fruits are the means by which flowering plants (also known as angiosperms) disseminate their seeds. Edible fruits in particu ...
is a slender
silique long.
Consumption
All parts of ''Cardamine pensylvanica'' are considered edible. Young leaves can be eaten raw, while older leaves should be cooked; they have a peppery flavor. Seed pods are good raw, stir fried, or pickled, before seeds mature and harden. Roots can be mixed with vinegar to make a good horseradish substitute.
References
External links
Jepson Manual TreatmentUSDA Plants ProfilePhoto gallery
Flora of Northern America
pensylvanica
Plants described in 1800
Taxa named by Gotthilf Heinrich Ernst Muhlenberg
{{Brassicales-stub