| Cardamine pensylvanica | |
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| (unranked): | Angiosperms |
| (unranked): | Eudicots |
| (unranked): | Rosids |
| Order: | Brassicales |
| Family: | Brassicaceae |
| Genus: | Cardamine |
| Species: | C. pensylvanica |
| Binomial name | |
| Cardamine pensylvanica Muhl. ex Willd. |
|
Cardamine pensylvanica is a species of cardamine known by the common name Pennsylvania bittercress. It is native to most of Canada and the United States from coast to coast. It is generally found in moist to wet areas, such as the mud on riverbanks. It is a biennial herb producing one or more erect or leaning, branching stems which are purple to green in color and grow 10 to 70 centimeters 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 produces many flowers each with 4 white petals a few millimeters long. The fruit is a slender silique 2 to 3 centimeters long.