CARDAMINE BITTER-CRESS
Family: Mustard - Brassicaceae
Annual to perennial herb, from taproots, fibrous roots, or tuber-like rhizomes; hairs 0 or simple.
Leaf: alternate, opposite, or whorled; entire to palmately, pinnately lobed, or compound; cauline leaves petioled or 0, not lobed at base [lobed].
Inflorescence: elongated, bracts generally 0.
Flower: sepals erect (spreading), bases sac-like or not; petals white, pink, purple, or violet.
Fruit: silique, linear, flat parallel to septum, dehiscent, unsegmented; valves generally coiling when dehiscent; placental margins flattened. Seed: (4)10–80, in 1 row, wingless.
± 200 species: temperate, worldwide. (Greek: for cress) Some North American species (e.g., Cardamine californica, Cardamine nuttallii, Cardamine pachystigma) highly variable, more study needed; species treated conservatively here. Cardamine flexuosa With. a waif in gardens, nurseries.
Unabridged note: Some North American species (e.g., Cardamine californica, Cardamine nuttallii, Cardamine pachystigma) highly variable and numerous minor variants were recognized as varieties. C ritical studies of these complexes reveal that only a fraction of the overall continuous variation was formally recognized. Without detailed molecular and cytological studies, a broader sp. concept is adopted herein.
[Jepson2012]
Local Species;
- Cardamine angulata - angled bitter-cress [E-flora][PCBC]
- Cardamine bellidifolia - alpine bitter-cress [E-flora][PCBC]
- Cardamine breweri - Brewer's bitter-cress [E-flora][PCBC]
- var. orbicularis [E-flora]
- Cardamine hirsuta - hairy bitter-cress [E-flora]
- Cardamine nuttallii - Slender toothwort [E-flora][PCBC][TSFTK]
- Cardamine occidentalis - Western Bitter-cress [E-flora][PCBC]
- Cardamine occulta - wood bitter-cress [E-flora]
- Cardamine oligosperma - little western bitter-cress [E-flora][PCBC]
- Cardamine parviflora - small-flowered bitter-cress [E-flora]
- Cardamine pensylvanica - Pennsylvanian bitter-cress [E-flora][PCBC]
- Cardamine pratensis - Cuckoo-flower [E-flora][PCBC]
- Cardamine umbellata - umbel bitter-cress [E-flora][PCBC]
Angled Bitter-Cress - Cardamine angulata
"Cardamine angulata, Conocephalum conicum, and Polypodium glycyrrhiza had anti-HSV-1 activity [20]."[ModPhyt]
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Identification
This is a Blue-Listed species in B.C. [E-flora]
-
Origin Status:
- General:
- Perennial herb from slender rhizome, greater than 3 cm long, not tuberous; stems simple, 40-80 cm tall, glabrous or sparsely hairy.[IFBC-E-flora]
- Leaves:
- With 3-5 leaflets, long-stalked, leaflets narrowly egg-shaped to egg-shaped, widely toothed to lobed, the terminal leaflet 1.5-5 cm long, 1.2-3 cm wide, somewhat larger than the lateral ones, hairy-fringed; upper stem leaves egg-shaped, with 3-5 large teeth.[IFBC-E-flora]
- Flowers:
- Inflorescence a simple raceme; flower stalks 8-20 mm long, ascending, glabrous; petals white to pinkish, 8-14 mm long; sepals pale yellow-green, about 2 mm long.[IFBC-E-flora]
- Fruits:
- Siliques, 1.5-3.5 cm long, 1.5-2 mm wide, erect, glabrous; styles 1.5-3 mm long.[IFBC-E-flora]
- Habitat / Range
- Moist woods and river banks in the lowland zone; rare on the Queen Charlotte Islands and Vancouver Island; N to S AK and S to N CA. [IFBC-E-flora]
Alpine bitter-cress - Cardamine bellidifolia
Family: Brassicaceae- Mustard Family [E-flora4]
SUBTAXA PRESENT IN BC
- Cardamine bellidifolia var. bellidifolia [E-flora4]
Identification
- Origin Status:
Native [E-flora4]
- General:
More or less tufted, perennial herb from a taproot and often a branched stem-base with somewhat rhizome-like branches, leaf bases persistent; stems several, few-leaved, 2-10 cm long, glabrous.[IFBC-E-flora4]
- Leaves:
Basal leaves in rosettes, thick, fleshy, entire or shallowly 1-3 lobed, blades 5-30 mm long, diamond-shaped to elliptic to egg-shaped, narrowed to slender stalks 2-4 times as long; stem leaves 0-3, reduced.[IFBC-E-flora4]
- Flowers:
Inflorescence a few-flowered, umbel-like raceme; flower stalks 4-10 mm long, ascending; petals white, 3-5 mm long; sepals 1.5-2 mm long.
[IFBC-E-flora4]
- Fruits:
Siliques, erect, 1.5-3.5 cm long, 1-1.5 mm wide; styles stout, 1-3 mm long.[IFBC-E-flora4]
- Habitat / Range
Moist scree slopes, gravelly areas and mossy rocks in the upper montane to alpine zones; frequent in N BC, rare southward and on Vancouver Island; circumpolar, E to NF and S to ME, NH and N CA. [IFBC-E-flora]
Brewer's bitter-cress - Cardamine breweri
Identification
Origin Status:
Native [E-flora]
- General:
Perennial herb from a rhizome; stems erect to spreading or nearly prostrate, simple to freely branched, 20-60 cm tall, glabrous or sparsely hairy near base.
[IFBC-E-flora]
- Leaves:
Basal leaves few, simple, blades 1-3 cm long, heart- to kidney-shaped or egg-shaped, shallowly wavy-margined and lobed; stem leaves compound with 2-4 (6) lanceolate to egg-shaped lateral lobes, the terminal lobe heart-shaped to egg-shaped to widely lanceolate, wavy-margined and toothed to shallowly lobed.
[IFBC-E-flora]
- Flowers:
Inflorescence a few-flowered raceme; flower stalks 5-20 mm long, ascending; petals white, spoon- to egg-shaped, 3-6 mm long; sepals 1.5-2.5 mm long.
[IFBC-E-flora]
- Fruits:
Siliques, erect, 2-3 cm long, 1-1.5 mm wide; styles 0.5-2 mm long.
[IFBC-E-flora]
- Habitat / Range: Wet to moist streambanks, shallow ponds and lakesides in the lowland and montane zones; infrequent in S BC; S to WY, NV and N CA.
[IFBC-E-flora]
Two varieties occur in BC:
1. Terminal lobes of lower stem leaves heart-shaped at base..................var. orbicularis (Greene) Detl.
1. Terminal lobes of lower stem leaves cuneate or rounded at base....................... var. breweri [IFBC-E-flora]
Hairy Bitter-cress - Cardamine hirsuta
Seed "Oil, % on dry wt: 25", "Mass of 1,000, g: 0.1"[LLCEOPS] |
Identification
- Origin Status:
Exotic [E-flora]
- General:
Annual herb from slender taproot; stems usually solitary, stiff, 5-30 cm tall, usually glabrous.
[IFBC-E-flora]
- Leaves:
Basal leaves in compact rosettes, compound, stalked, hairy-fringed, pinnate with 2-3 or more pairs of egg-shaped to orbicular leaflets and a larger, somewhat kidney-shaped terminal leaflet; stem leaves few, almost unstalked, with smaller, narrower leaflets; all leaflets wavy-margined to shallowly few-lobed, sparsely stiff-hairy above and on the margins.
[IFBC-E-flora]
- Flowers:
Inflorescence a simple raceme; flower stalks ascending, 5-10 mm long; petals white, narrow, 1.5-2 mm long; sepals half as long as petals, greenish-violet with narrow white margins; stamens 4.
[IFBC-E-flora]
- Fruits:
Siliques, erect, 1.8-2.5 cm long, about 1 mm wide; styles 0.5-2 (6) mm long; seeds 22-36.[IFBC-E-flora]
- Habitat / Range:
Mesic to dry waste places, roadsides and open woods in the lowland zone; frequent in SW BC; introduced from Eurasia. [IFBC-E-flora]
Food Use
Leaves & Flowers: "Leaves and flowers eaten raw or cooked, mainly
used as a garnish or flavouring in salads etc., but are
also sometimes used as a potherb" [EMNMPV.7]
Western Bitter-Cress - Cardamine occidentalis
Family: Brassicaceae - Mustard Family
Identification
Synonyms
- Cardamine pratensis var. occidentalis S. Watson ex B.L. Rob. [E-flora3]
-
Origin Status:
-
General:
- Perennial herb from a short, slender rhizome; stems 1-1.5 mm thick, enlarged and tuberous near base of leafy stems, 20-40 cm tall, simple to freely branched, erect to decumbent and rooting at nodes, glabrous to sparsely hairy.
[IFBC-E-flora3]
-
Leaves:
- Basal leaves few, slender-stalked, pinnate, lateral lobes (2) 4-6, egg-shaped to heart-shaped, short-stalked to unstalked, 3-8 mm long, generally entire, terminal lobe 1-2 cm long, shallowly wavy-margined; stem leaves several, upper ones unstalked to nearly unstalked, fewer lateral lobes, narrowly egg-shaped to linear, mostly 1-2 cm long, entire or slightly toothed, terminal leaflet egg- to wedge-shaped, 1.5-3 cm long.
[IFBC-E-flora3]
-
Flowers:
- Inflorescence an elongate raceme, without bracts; flower stalks ascending, 10-15 mm long; petals white, 3.5-5 mm long; sepals 1-2 (2.5) mm long.[IFBC-E-flora3]
-
Fruits:
- Siliques, erect, 2-3 cm long, 1-1.5 mm wide; styles about 1 mm long.[IFBC-E-flora3]
-
Habitat / Range
- Wet to moist streambanks and lakeshores in the lowland zone; infrequent in SW BC; N to AK and S to CA. [IFBC-E-flora3]
Cardamine nuttallii - Slender toothwort Synonyms
- Cardamine pulcherrima Greene [ThePlantLIst.org] 2/3 Confidence, Accessed Feb 13, 2014. [E-flora]
- Cardamine nuttallii var. nuttallii [E-flora]
- Cardamine nuttallii var. pulcherrima (Greene) Taylor & MacBryde [E-flora]
- Dentaria tenella Pursh [E-flora]
- Dentaria tenella var. pulcherrima (Greene) Detling [E-flora]
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Identification
Origin Status: Native [E-flora]
- General:
Perennial herb from a short, slender, fleshy rhizome, less than 3 cm long and 1-3 (4) mm thick; stems erect, 20-30 cm tall, glabrous.
[IFBC-E-flora]
- Leaves:
Basal leaves long-stalked, blades simple, orbicular to heart-shaped, shallowly round-toothed to lobed, sometimes deeply 3- or 5-lobed or compound with 3-5 (7) leaflets; stem leaves 1-3, grouped mostly above middle of stem, lobed, or compound with 3 or 5 lanceolate to egg-shaped-lanceolate, entire leaflets, 1-4 cm long.[IFBC-E-flora]
- Flowers:
Inflorescence a few-flowered racemes, without bracts; flowers stalks erect to ascending, 10-20 mm long; petals pink to reddish or purplish, 7-12 mm long; sepals 3-5 mm long.[IFBC-E-flora]
- Fruits:
Siliques, erect, 1.5-5 cm long, about 1.5 mm wide; styles slender, 3-6 mm long.[IFBC-E-flora]
- Habitat / Range
Moist woods and bottom lands in the lowland zone; common in SW BC, known from S Vancouver Island, the Gulf Islands and adjacent mainland of BC; S to N CA. [IFBC-E-flora]
Ecological Indicator Information
A shade-tolerant, submontane to montane, Pacific North American forb; ecologically comparable to C. breweri. Occurs in maritime to hypermaritime cool mesothermal climates on very moist to wet, nitrogen-rich soils; its occurrence decreases with increasing elevation and continentality. Sporadic in closed-canopy forests on water-receiving sites; occasional in depressions on water-collecting sites with groundwater table at the ground surface. A nitrophytic species characteristic of Moder or Mull humus forms.
- Indicator Plants of Coastal British Columbia (Information applies to coastal locations only)[E-flora]
Cardamine occulta - wood bitter-cress
Status: Exotic [E-flora]1 |
Cardamine Oligosperma - Few-seeded Bitter-cress
Synonyms
- Cardamine oligosperma sensu lato [E-flora]
- Cardamine oligosperma var. oligosperma Nutt. [E-flora]
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Identification
- Origin Status:
Native [E-flora]
- General:
Annual or biennial (var. oligosperma) or perennial (var. kamtschatica) herb from a taproot; stems erect to ascending, one or more, freely branched, 10-50 cm tall, hairs short or lacking.
[IFBC-E-flora]
- Leaves:
Basal leaves forming a rosette; stem leaves similar, pinnate, sparsely stiff-hairy to hairy-fringed to almost glabrous, lateral lobes (2) 3-10, shortly-stalked to stalked, oblanceolate to egg-shaped, entire or shallowly 2 to several times round-toothed or lobed, 3-20 mm long, the terminal leaflet usually larger, to 3 cm long.[IFBC-E-flora]
- Flowers:
Inflorescence an elongate racemes, more or less umbel-like, 3-10 cm long, generally lacking bracts; flower stalks erect to ascending, 5-20 mm long; petals white, 2-4 mm long; sepals 1-2 mm long.
[IFBC-E-flora]
- Fruits:
Siliques, erect, 1.5-2.5 cm long, 1-1.5 mm wide, glabrous to sparsely hairy; styles less than 0.5 mm long; seeds 15-22 (24), 1.5-2 mm long, oblong-oval, narrowly wing-margined.
[IFBC-E-flora]
Notes:
Two rather weak varieties occur in BC.
1. Racemes more or less umbel-like, the central axis 1-2 cm long; plants of the upper montane to alpine zones...................... var. kamtschatica (Regel) Detling
1. Racemes more elongate, the central axis greater than 3 cm long; plants of the lowland and lower montane zones............................ var. oligosperma[IFBC-E-flora]
USDA Flower Colour: White
USDA Blooming Period: Early Spring
USDA Fruit/Seed characteristics:
Colour: Black
Present from Spring to Summer
[USDA-E-flora]
Habitat / Range: Wet to mesic streamsides, ditches, waste places, roadsides, meadows, gravelly slopes and open woods in the lowland to alpine zones; var. oligosperma - common in S BC, less frequent northward, var. kamtschatica - frequent in coastal and N BC; var. oligosperma - S to MT and CA, var. kamtschatica - amphiberingian, N to AK, YT and NT, E to AB and S to OR; E. Asia. [IFBC-E-flora]
Edible Uses
- Leaves - raw or cooked and used as a vegetable[172, 183]. [PFAF]
Medicinal Uses
- Plant: Carminative and digestive[172]. [PFAF]
References
- [Duke]
- [E-flora] http://linnet.geog.ubc.ca/Atlas/Atlas.aspx?sciname=Cardamine oligosperma&redblue=Both&lifeform=7 In Klinkenberg, Brian. (Editor) 2014. E-Flora BC: Electronic Atlas of the Plants of British Columbia [eflora.bc.ca]. Lab for Advanced Spatial Analysis, Department of Geography, University of British Columbia, Vancouver. [Accessed: 11/30/2014 10:41:41 AM ]
- [IFBC-E-flora] Illustrated Flora of B.C., Douglas, G.W., G.B. Straley, D.V. Meidinger, and J. Pojar, Volume 1-8, .C. Ministry. Environment, Lands and Parks and B.C. Ministry of Forests. Victoria, 1998-2002. Publication
- [USDA-E-flora] U.S. Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Service Plant Database. http://plants.usda.gov .
- [PFAF]
- [UMD-Eth]
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Cardamine parviflora - Small-flowered bitter-cress
- Origin Status:
Native [E-flora-5]
- General:
Annual or biennial herb from a taproot; stems usually solitary, 10-30 cm tall, simple or branched, glabrous.
[IFBC-E-flora-5]
- Leaves:
Basal leaves pinnate, terminal leaflet linear-oblong to oblanceolate; stem leaves with 3-6 pairs of leaflets, linear or narrowly oblanceolate, not over 2 mm wide, entire.
[IFBC-E-flora-5]
- Fruits:
Siliques, ascending, 1-3 cm long; styles 0.5-1.5 mm long.[IFBC-E-flora-5]
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Cardamine pensylvanica - Pennsylvanian bitter-cress
Identification
- Origin Status:
Native [E-flora]
- General:
Biennial or annual herb from a taproot, also some fibrous roots from the lower nodes; stems erect to ascending, one or more, freely branched, 10-40 cm tall, usually stiff-hairy at the base.
[IFBC-E-flora]
- Leaves:
Basal and stem leaves pinnate, generally glabrous, lateral lobes (2) 4-10, shortly-stalked to stalked; basal leaves not rosetted, oblanceolate to egg-shaped, entire or shallowly lobed, 3-15 cm long, the terminal leaflet usually largest, up to 2 cm long; stem leaves linear or lanceolate to linear-oblanceolate.
[IFBC-E-flora]
- Flowers:
Inflorescence an elongated racemes, more or less umbel-like, 3-10 cm long, usually lacking bracts; flower stalks ascending, 5-10 mm long; petals white, 2-4 mm long; sepals 1.2-1.8 mm long.
[IFBC-E-flora]
- Fruits:
Siliques, erect, 1.5-2.5 cm long, 0.7-1 (1.5) mm wide, glabrous; styles 0.4-0.8 mm long; seeds (20) 24-40, about 1 mm long, usually wingless.[IFBC-E-flora]
USDA Flower Colour: White
USDA Blooming Period: Early Spring
USDA Fruit/Seed characteristics:
Colour: Black
Present from Spring to Summer[USDA-E-flora]
Habitat / Range: Moist streamsides, ditches, open woods and waste places in the lowland and montane zones; frequent throughout BC; E to NF and S to TX, FL and N CA.
[IFBC-E-flora]
Edible Uses
- Leaves - raw or cooked[46, 61, 159, 171]. An excellent water cress substitute[105]. A slightly bitter flavour, but not disagreeable[207]. [PFAF]
- Root: The grated raw root is used as a condiment[207]. [PFAF]
Medicinal Uses
Leaves & Flowering Plant: Carminative and digestive[172]. [PFAF]
Synonyms
- Cardamine pensylvanica var. brittoniana Farw. [E-flora]
References
- [Duke]
- [E-flora] http://linnet.geog.ubc.ca/Atlas/Atlas.aspx?sciname=Cardamine pensylvanica&redblue=Both&lifeform=7 In Klinkenberg, Brian. (Editor) 2014. E-Flora BC: Electronic Atlas of the Plants of British Columbia [eflora.bc.ca]. Lab for Advanced Spatial Analysis, Department of Geography, University of British Columbia, Vancouver. [Accessed: 11/30/2014 3:01:43 PM ]
- [IFBC-E-flora] Illustrated Flora of B.C., Douglas, G.W., G.B. Straley, D.V. Meidinger, and J. Pojar, Volume 1-8, .C. Ministry. Environment, Lands and Parks and B.C. Ministry of Forests. Victoria, 1998-2002. Publication
- [USDA-E-flora] U.S. Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Service Plant Database. http://plants.usda.gov .
- [PFAF]
- [UMD-Eth]
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Cuckooflower - Cardamine pratensis
Other Names: Lady's-smock [Wildman]
SUBTAXA PRESENT IN BC
- Cardamine pratensis ssp. pratensis
Status: Exotic [IFBC-E-flora]
Identification
"Cuckooflower or lady's-smock (Cardamine pratensis) is a perennial, hairless, erect mustard, growing from 8 to 20 inches tall. Its distinctive, fernlike, feather-compound leaves consist of three to seven paired leaflets, and one terminal leaflet. Basal leaflets are rounder, while upper leaflets are more narrow. The pink flowers are typical of mustards. They bloom in spring; then the plant disappears, so you have to collect early. Look for it in moist places, such as swamps, springs, wet meadows, and wet woods, throughout the northern half of North America." [Wildman]
-
General: Perennial herb from a rhizome; stems 8-45 cm tall, glabrous.
- Leaves: Basal leaves with 9-17 orbicular to lanceolate leaflets, 0.2-0.9 cm long, glabrous; stem leaves with 9-15 linear to narrowly oblong leaflets, linear or lanceolate to linear-oblanceolate.
- Flowers: Inflorescence a simple raceme, without bracts; flower stalks spreading-ascending, 5-20 mm long, glabrous; petals pink, pink-purple, or white, 8-15 mm long; sepals 3-4.5 mm long.
- Fruits: Siliques, erect, 1.4-3 cm long, 1-1.5 mm wide, glabrous; styles 1-1.5 mm long.
- Habitat / Range: Wet to moist streamsides, meadows, floodplains and open woods in the montane zone; frequent in SW BC (lower Fraser Valley, where it may be introduced), infrequent in N BC; circumpolar, N to AK, YT and NT, E to NF, S to OH and MS; Eurasia.
Edible Uses
One of the best-tasting plants of the genus. [Schofield] Its peppery taste makes it a favorite of everyone who tries it. Use it raw or cooked. [Wildman]
- Leaves: The leaves can be available early in the year[k] and when used in small quantities make a very acceptable addition to salads[183, K]. [PFAF]
"Lady’s smock, Cardamine pratensis L., was used in soup in the Faroes." [Svanberg,2012] "Basal leaves, raw in salads (SP)[spring]" [Tardio,2006]
- Leaves & Young Shoots: Raw or cooked[2, 5, 12, 52, 115]. Rich in vitamins and minerals[268], especially vitamin C[238], but with a bitter and pungent flavour[27]. The leaves and young shoots are harvested in the spring and taste rather like water cress[9]. [PFAF]
- Flowers & Flower Buds: Raw. A pungent cress-like flavour[183, K]. The white flowers are very attractive, they make a pleasant nibble and also add a delicious flavour to salads[K]. [PFAF]
Medicinal Uses
- Used to "stimulate appeite, ease indigestion," and used as a cough remedy. [CRNAH]
- Leaves & Flowering Plant: "Antirheumatic, antiscorbutic, antispasmodic, carminative, digestive, diuretic, stimulant[9, 146, 172, 238, 240]. They are used internally in the treatment of chronic skin complaints, asthma and hysteria[238]. The plant is harvested in spring and early summer and is best used when fresh[9, 238]." [PFAF]
- Appetizer: "Cuckoo flower is seldom used in herbalism, though an infusion of the leaves has been used to treat indigestion and promote appetite[268]." [PFAF]
- Flowers: "The flowers formerly possessed
the reputation of being diuretic, and of being useful in chorea and asthma." [Remington USD20]
"The young leaves have proved a useful anti-scorbutic
in their time. Hill. 1754 thought the juice of the
fresh leaves “an excellent diuretic, and … good for
the gravel”. They have been used for hysteria, and
epilepsy, too (Hulme). Thornton rather ambitiously
reported that “St Vitus’s dance … has yielded to these
flowers…” In Russian folk medicine, it is sometimes
combined with an infusion of haws for angina pectoris
remedies (Kourennoff), but it is the haws that is the
important element in this case. In the Highlands,
it was reckoned good for reducing fevers (Beith)." [DPL Watts] "Claims by physicians that the flowering tops have powerful anti-spasmodic properties which are helpful in cases of hysteria, epilepsy and St
Vitus’ dance appear in the learned medical literature from the time of John
Ray onwards, but evidence that this was also (and maybe originally) a folk
remedy seems to be limited to the Highlands150"[MPFT]
"Its bitterish and slightly pungent
leaves are supposed to be antiscorbutic. The seeds are said to contain myronic acid,
and to yield on decomposition by hydrolysis an oil analogous to oil of mustard. Feist
investigated C. amara L. and its volatile oil and found thio-urea. Kuntze states that
two kinds of crystals were isolated, both being forms of thio-urea. (A. Pharm., 1907,
657.)"[Remington USD20]
"Aerial Part Mustard oil Content, %: 0.0014–0.03 [1, 2] Composition: Butylmustard oil [2] Seed Oil, % on dry wt: 20–22 [1]"[LLCEOPS]
Cardamine Umbellata - Umbel bitter-cress
Status: Native. [E-flora-2]
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Food Use: Another common and tasty species. [Schofield] |
Uses of Cardamine Sp.
- Species Mentioned: Cardamine sp; including C. pennsylvanica, C. pratensis, and C. umbellata. [Schofield]
Edible Uses
There are more than one hundred Cardamine species worldwide. Though some taste better than others, I know of no species that are harmful. [Schofield] "Hedrick (1919) listed eight species of Cardamine used from the Straits of Magellen to
New Caledonia, so the comment by Fernald et al. (1958) that species, other than the two
they listed, “doubtless have similar qualities,” is surely correct. Most who comment on
the genus suggest that it has “just the taste of the English water-cress” (Hedrick 1919).
The comparison in the name to “cress” records that long-standing impression" [Daniel F. Austin]
Mustard leaves can be juiced with milder greens like chickweed Stellaria media or sweet
fruits like rose hips Rosa species for a vitamin-crammed drink. When pickling salmon, try adding mustard pods and glasswort Salicornia sp. to the brined fish. [Schofield]
Leaves of young bitter cress add zest to salads, quiches, sandwich fillings, soups, and casseroles. Spring to early summer.[Schofield] "These plants are good
raw in salads or better cooked in various ways, depending on the cook's imagination and ability.
Some are better than others, C. pensylvanica
being one of the best" [Kirk WEP]
Medicinal Uses
Mustards, in general, are often recommended to those plagued by indigestion or lack of appetite. [Schofield]
Cardamine seeds are often eaten in
India after meals to stimulate digestion. They
also are carminative, promoting release of
excess gas. Late summer. [Schofield]
Cultivation
Besides nibbling from the wild, you can plant Cardamine and other wild mustards in your garden. Bitter cress does well in rich, moist loam in damp areas at the perimeter of bogs and garden ponds. [Schofield]
"Increased development of plant defense chemicals in leaves can be induced
by the presence of leaf-pathogenic fungi. This increased concentration of polyphenols causes a significant reduction in the decomposition of plant litters
(Whitham and Schweitzer, 2002). The higher content of these chemicals reduces
the colonization of litter by saprotrophic and mycorrhizal fungi. Koide et al.
(1998a,b) demonstrated a significant reduction in the growth of ectomycorrhizal
fungi as a result of the effects of high concentrations of polyphenols. This effect
could be considered analogous to an allelopathic effect if the reduction in
mycorrhizal colonization of a host plant led to a reduction in the host plant’s
fitness. Molofsky et al. (2000), however, contest that the survival and fitness of
the annual plant Cardamine pensylvanica is related to leaf litter mass and
persistence rather than litter quality. It is thus possible that the controls exerted by
leaf litters are different for annual and perennial plants."[Dighton FEP]
Use of Non-Local Species
"Goyang is an ethnic fermented wild plant food, generally prepared by the Sherpa women of high mountains in the Himalayan regions of India and Nepal (Tamang and Tamang 2007). The leaves of the wild
edible plant (Cardamine macrophylla Willd), are collected, washed and cut into pieces, squeezed to
drain off excess water, and tightly pressed into bamboo baskets lined with two to three layers of leaves
from fg plants. The top of the baskets are then covered with fg plant leaves, and fermented naturally at
room temperature for 25 to 30 days. Freshly fermented goyang is transferred into an airtight container
which can be stored for 2 to 3 months. The shelf life of goyang can be prolonged by making the freshly
fermented goyang into balls that are sun-dried for 2 to 3 days before being stored for several months.
Goyang is eaten as a soup. Lb. plantarum, Lb. brevis, Lactococcus lactis, Enterococcus faecium, P. pentosaceus, and yeasts from Candida spp. have been isolated from goyang (Tamang and Tamang 2007).
" [Hui HPBFFBT] "Goyang is boiled in a soup along
with yak or beef meat and noodles to make a thick thukpa, a common staple food
of the Sherpa."[Tamang FFBW]
"Cardamine sp.
[syn. Dentaria sp.] (Cruciferae)—pepper root, tooth root
There are reports that this little-known plant (possibly C. concatenata) was used as a
hallucinogen by the Iroquois (Moerman 1986, 100, 604*). Unfortunately, chemical and
ethnobotanical information is lacking (Ott 1993, 405*). The “cuckoo flower” (Cardamine
pratensis L.) was once used to treat epilepsy (Millspaugh 1974, 88*)." [Ratsch EPP]
References
- [E-flora]
- [1]http://linnet.geog.ubc.ca/Atlas/Atlas.aspx?sciname=Cardamine%20occulta, Accessed June 20, 2015, Dec 12, 2017
- [2]http://linnet.geog.ubc.ca/Atlas/Atlas.aspx?sciname=Cardamine%20umbellata, Accessed June 20, 2015
- [3]http://linnet.geog.ubc.ca/Atlas/Atlas.aspx?sciname=Cardamine occidentalis&redblue=Both&lifeform=7 In Klinkenberg, Brian. (Editor) 2014. E-Flora BC: Electronic Atlas of the Plants of British Columbia [eflora.bc.ca]. Lab for Advanced Spatial Analysis, Department of Geography, University of British Columbia, Vancouver. [Accessed: 11/30/2014 10:38:30 AM ]
- [4]http://linnet.geog.ubc.ca/Atlas/Atlas.aspx?sciname=Cardamine%20bellidifolia&redblue=Both&lifeform=7 In Klinkenberg, Brian. (Editor) 2014. E-Flora BC: Electronic Atlas of the Plants of British Columbia [eflora.bc.ca]. Lab for Advanced Spatial Analysis, Department of Geography, University of British Columbia, Vancouver. [Accessed: 11/30/2014 10:34:15 AM ]
- [5]Cardamine parviflora, http://linnet.geog.ubc.ca/Atlas/Atlas.aspx?sciname=Cardamine%20parviflora&redblue=Both&lifeform=7, Accessed Dec 9, 2017
- [Jepson2012] Ihsan A. Al-Shehbaz, 2012. Cardamine, in Jepson Flora Project (eds.) Jepson eFlora, http://ucjeps.berkeley.edu/cgi-bin/get_IJM.pl?tid=17120, accessed on Mar 14 2014
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