Cardamine douglassii Britton. Common name: Purple Cress, Limestone Bittercress, Douglass's Bittercress, Pink Spring-cress. Phenology: Late Feb-early Apr; Apr-May. Habitat: Nutrient-rich, mesic forests, especially alluvial bottomlands, and in nutrient-rich seepages. Distribution: NY, ON, and MN south to c. NC (in the drainages of the Neuse, Meherrin, and rarely Cape Fear rivers), sc. TN, AL, and MO. Reports for SC are based on misidentification of C. bulbosa.
Origin/Endemic status: Native
Synonymy ⓘ: = Ar, C, F, FNA7, G, GW2, Il, K4, Mi, NE, NY, Pa, RAB, Tat, Tn, Va, Al-Shehbaz (1988a), Rollins (1993). Basionym: Cardamine douglassii Britton 1889 "Urbasionym:" Arabis rhomboidea Pers. var. purpurea Torr. 1822
Links to other floras: = Cardamine douglassii - FNA7
Show parent genus | Show parent in key(s)
Wetland Indicator Status:
- Atlantic and Gulf Coastal Plain: OBL
- Eastern Mountains and Piedmont: FACW
- Great Plains: FACW
- Midwest: FACW
- Northcentral & Northeast: FACW
Heliophily ⓘ: 3
Hover over a shape, letter, icon, or arrow on the map for definition or see the legend.
© Gary P. Fleming | Original Image ⭷
© Erik Danielson source | Original Image ⭷
© Erik Danielson source | Original Image ⭷
© Grant Morrow Parkins | Original Image ⭷
© Gary P. Fleming | Original Image ⭷
© Erik Danielson source | Original Image ⭷
© Bruce Sorrie | Original Image ⭷Feedback
See something missing or incorrect about Cardamine douglassii? Let us know here:
- Please include your name and if possible, email in case when need to clarify what you wrote.
- If you opt out of including email, please be as specific as possible (e.g., which photo is incorrect?)
- Please do not submit questions asking to identify plants or about horticultural topics (e.g., how do I control an invasive plant in my garden?). Instead, those questions can be submitted here for the Carolinas region only.
- Please do not send us feedback about unkeyed species as this work is ongoing.
- Please allow time for flora edits to show in our next data release. We greatly appreciate your feedback but may require extra time to research complicated taxonomic issues.
Horticultural Information
Intro: Erect, somewhat colonial perennial of nutrient-rich, moist forests, especially alluvial bottomlands, and in nutrient-rich seepages (in NC, in the drainages of the Neuse, Meherrin, and [rarely] Cape Fear Rivers).
Stems: Stems unbranched, purple-tinged toward the base and hairy.
Leaves: Basal leaves petiolate, round (or nearly so), to about 1 in. long, purple beneath; stem leaves (2-5) alternate, sessile or clasping, oval, to 2 in. long (reduced upward) and bluntly toothed or scalloped.
Inforescence:
Flowers: Flowers on long stalks in a short terminal raceme, blooming from the bottom upward; pink to lavender (rarely white), 1/2-1 in. wide, consisting of 4 oblong-oval petals, 4 shorter and hairy purple sepals, several stamens and a single stout style.
Fruits: Fruit a thin, cylindrical pod.
Comments:
Height: 3-15 in.
plant sale text:
bloom table text:
description: Erect, somewhat colonial perennial of nutrient-rich, moist forests, especially alluvial bottomlands, and in nutrient-rich seepages (in NC, in the drainages of the Neuse, Meherrin, and [rarely] Cape Fear Rivers).
stems: Stems unbranched, purple-tinged toward the base and hairy.
leaves: Basal leaves petiolate, round (or nearly so), to about 1 in. long, purple beneath; stem leaves (2-5) alternate, sessile or clasping, oval, to 2 in. long (reduced upward) and bluntly toothed or scalloped.
inflorescence:
flowers: Flowers on long stalks in a short terminal raceme, blooming from the bottom upward; pink to lavender (rarely white), 1/2-1 in. wide, consisting of 4 oblong-oval petals, 4 shorter and hairy purple sepals, several stamens and a single stout style.
fruits: Fruit a thin, cylindrical pod.
comments:
cultural notes:
germination code:
native range: eastern North America
0 unsaved edits on this page.