Pennsylvania Bittercress

Cardamine pensylvanica

Pennsylvania Bittercress is a small plant with pretty white flowers. It often grows in wet places and can be found in gardens and fields. This plant is a favorite for little critters like bees and butterflies!

Habitat: Wetlands

Appearance

The Pennsylvania Bittercress is a small, slender plant featuring delicate clusters of tiny white flowers at the tip of its green stems. Its leaves are deeply lobed or toothed, forming a basal rosette and alternating up the stem, giving it a somewhat lacy and delicate appearance.

KingdomPlantaePhylumTracheophytaClassMagnoliopsidaOrderBrassicalesFamilyBrassicaceaeGenusCardamine

Pennsylvania Bittercress

Interesting facts

It's a cousin to broccoli and cabbage, belonging to the mustard family!

It's a wild edible often used in salads and sandwiches by foragers!

The plant gets its name 'bittercress' from its slightly peppery taste!

The tiny seeds can be surprisingly spicy, like a miniature mustard seed!

Special abilities

Pennsylvania Bittercress can shoot its tiny seeds away from the plant when ripe, helping them spread far and wide to new places!

Pennsylvania Bittercress has a speedy growth cycle, allowing it to quickly establish and flower in disturbed or open areas.

Pennsylvania Bittercress can efficiently absorb various nutrients from the soil, helping it thrive in diverse environments.

Measurements & details

Height: 10-40 cm
Spread: 5-20 cm
Flower Size: 0.2-0.5 cm
Bloom Season: Spring-early summer
Edible: Yes
Toxicity: None
Lifecycle: Annual
Pollination Method: Insect

Ecological connections

eaten by

Small Cabbage White butterfly

Pieris rapae

Caterpillars feed on leaves.

pollinates

European Honey Bee

Apis mellifera

Visits flowers for nectar and pollen.

eaten by

Crucifer flea beetle

Phyllotreta cruciferae

Adult beetles feed on leaves, leaving small holes.

eaten by

Grey field slug

Deroceras reticulatum

Slugs graze on leaves and young stems.

Traits

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.

Fragrant Flower

Fragrant flowers emit a pleasant aroma, often to attract pollinators or for defense.

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.