narrow-leaved bittercress

Cardamine impatiens

Narrow-leaved bittercress is a small plant with long, thin leaves. It often grows in wet places and has tiny white flowers that can brighten up any garden!

Habitat: Wetlands

Appearance

The narrow-leaved bittercress is a slender plant with delicate white flowers, each having four tiny petals. Its distinctive basal leaves are deeply lobed or toothed, while stem leaves are noticeably narrower and often clasp the stem. This upright plant features long, thin seed pods that stand erect.

KingdomPlantaePhylumTracheophytaClassMagnoliopsidaOrderBrassicalesFamilyBrassicaceaeGenusCardamine

narrow-leaved bittercress

Interesting facts

Its scientific name 'impatiens' means 'impatient,' because its seeds burst out so quickly!

Some people call it 'flea cress' because of its incredibly tiny, dark seeds!

This wild plant is a surprising relative of familiar vegetables like broccoli and cabbage!

You might find this tenacious plant growing even in cracks in pavements or walls!

Special abilities

Narrow-leaved bittercress can explosively eject its seeds when pods are touched, scattering them far from the parent plant.

Narrow-leaved bittercress can quickly sprout and grow in disturbed areas, rapidly colonizing new patches of ground.

Narrow-leaved bittercress has a peppery taste due to mustard oils, deterring some herbivores while making it appealing to humans.

Measurements & details

Height: 10-60 cm
Flower Size: 0.2-0.3 cm
Bloom Season: Spring-Summer
Edible: Yes
Toxicity: None
Lifecycle: Annual
Pollination Method: Self

Ecological connections

eaten by

Grey field slug

Deroceras reticulatum

Slugs enjoy its tender leaves, especially when young.

eaten by

Small Cabbage White

Pieris rapae

Its leaves are a food source for caterpillars.

pollinates

Honey bee

Apis mellifera

Honey bees occasionally visit its tiny flowers for nectar.

Traits

Aromatic

Aromatic plants produce and emit fragrant volatile organic compounds, often for defense or to attract pollinators.

Flowering

Flowering plants are any plants that produce flowers as part of their reproductive cycle.

Biennial

Biennial plants complete their life cycle over two growing seasons, typically forming foliage in the first year and flowering/seeding in the second.

Spring Blooming

Spring blooming plants produce their flowers during the spring season, often signifying the end of winter and the start of new growth.

Edible

Edible plants are those parts of a plant that are considered safe for human consumption.

Pollinator Magnet

Describes plants that are particularly attractive and beneficial to a wide range of pollinating organisms.

Wetland

This habitat trait identifies species found in wetlands, which are areas of land saturated with water, either permanently or seasonally, including marshes, swamps, and bogs.