Cardamine

Primary tabs

Cardamine

Description

Annual, biennial or perennial, small to large herbs, with a taproot and often with creeping or tuberous rhizomes. Hairs often present, simple. Sepals not saccate, not spreading; Petals white, cream, violet or purple, spathulate to clawed, sometimes lacking. Stamens 6-4, rarely fewer; Ovary cylindrical, usually with a short narrower style; Fruit a siliqua, dehiscent, linear, straight, tapered towards the narrow style; Seeds uniseriate, flattened, usually broadly elliptic to oblong, minutely rugose to colliculate, not mucilaginous.

Distribution

Asia-Tropical, subarctic, temperate, and montane tropical areas all over the world present
In subarctic, temperate, and montane tropical areas all over the world; c. 130 spp., of which 6 spp. in Malesia.

Notes

Specific delimitation is notoriously difficult in this genus through frequent hybridization and occurrence of polyploids.

Citation

LINNÉ 1754: Gen. Pl., ed. 5: 295
PRANTL 1891 – In: E. & P., Nat. Pfl. Fam. III: 184
ENDL. 1839: Gen. Pl.: 865
SCHULZ 1903 – In: Bot. Jahrb.: 280
LINNÉ 1936 – In: E. & P., Nat. Pfl. Fam., ed. 2, 17b: 527
BAILLON 1871 – In: Hist. Pl.: 234
B. & H. 1862 – In: Gen. Pl.: 70