Cardamine flagellifera

Cardamine flagellifera
Conservation status
Vulnerable  (NatureServe)[1]
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Eudicots
Clade:	Rosids
Order:	Brassicales
Family:	Brassicaceae
Genus:	Cardamine
Species:	C. flagellifera
Binomial name
Cardamine flagellifera O.E.Schulz

Cardamine flagellifera, commonly known as Blue Ridge bittercress,[2] is a species of herbaceous plant in the mustard family. It is native to eastern North America, where it is found primarily in the southern Blue Ridge.[2][3] It is a perennial that produces white flowers in the spring.[4]

Its natural habitat is moist cove forests and bottomlands, along streambanks and in seepage areas.[2] Unlike the similar-looking Cardamine clematis which grows in high elevations, C. flagellifera is typically found in low to moderate elevations.[2]

This species is considered to be vulnerable due to its limited distribution, and its habitat requirement of forests with an undistributed herbaceous layer.[1]

Taxonomy

Two varieties are sometimes recognized. These are:[2]

• C. flagellifera var. flagellifera - Large-flowered Blue Ridge bittercress; widespread in the southern Appalachian Mountains.
• C. flagellifera var. hugeri - Small-flowered Blue Ridge bittercress; has a more restricted range.

References

1. "Cardamine flagellifera". NatureServe Explorer. NatureServe. Retrieved 2017-12-21.
2. Alan Weakley (2015). "Flora of the Southern and Mid-Atlantic States".
3. "Cardamine flagellifera". County-level distribution map from the North American Plant Atlas (NAPA). Biota of North America Program (BONAP). 2014. Retrieved 7 December 2017.
4. "Cardamine flagellifera in Flora of North America @ efloras.org". efloras.org. Retrieved 7 December 2017.