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Bulbous Bittercress

Cardamine bulbosa

Found in swampy forests and bogs, primarily (but not strictly) in circumneutral soils over limestone or mafic rocks. FloraQuest, phone app (app page) What its natural habitat tells you

53
Strong

Native to Virginia. How scores work Is it native here?

Profile 100%

Height
About 1.4 feet
Light
Partial shade, Full shade, Full sun
Soil moisture
Moist to standing water
Will it fit your yard?

At a glance

Life cycle
Perennial
Bloom
February to May
Fruiting season
April to June

Not yet recorded · Spread · Leaves

Recorded in 73 Virginia counties.

Ecological relationships

Who uses this plant?

What these records mean

3CaterpillarsGenus host records with ranges including VA

Genus host records with ranges including VA · Cardamine

  • Anthocharis mideaFalcate Orangetip
  • Evergestis pallidataPurple-Backed Cabbageworm Moth
  • Pieris virginiensisWest Virginia White
Shropshire & Tallamy 2025, Lepidoptera of North America north of Mexico, ZooKeys 1261 (ODbL)
12BeesSoutheastern regional records

Southeastern regional records · Cardamine

Individual names are not available yet.

Noori, Seltmann & Orr 2026, A curated and integrated dataset for exploring global bee-plant interactions (GloBI), Zenodo, CC BY 4.0
1Specialist beesPollen specialists

Pollen specialists · Cardamine

  • Andrena arabis
Smith, Bachelder, Russell, Morales, Mosher & Seltmann 2024, Bee-Specialization-Modeling v0.6.1 (specialist host table compiled from J. Fowler's pollen specialist bee lists), Zenodo, CC BY 4.0
1BirdsRecorded genus food-resource interactions; not a state feeding claim

Recorded genus food-resource interactions; not a state feeding claim · Cardamine

  • Lagopus lagopusWillow Ptarmigan
Hurlbert, Olsen, Sawyer & Winner 2021, Avian Diet Database, Scientific Data 8: 260 (CC0)

Direct food only: birds recorded eating this genus across North America. Caterpillars on host plants also feed nesting birds. NC Native Plant Society: butterfly gardening

Flies 5
  • Bombylius atriceps
  • Empis otiosa
  • Nemotelus glaber
  • Sphaerophoria cylindrica
  • Zodion fulvifrons

Flower visits · Carlinville, Illinois, USA

Adult butterflies / moths 3
  • Pholisora catullus
  • Phyciodes tharos
  • Vanessa atalanta

Flower visits · Carlinville, Illinois, USA

No records yet · Ants · Beetles · Other wasps · Other insects

Growing and identification

Plant details

Family
Brassicaceae
Flower color
White
Growth rate
Rapid
Growth habit
Single crown
Foliage color
Green
Fruit begins
April
Fruit ends
June

Safety has not been reviewed for this plant; check toxicity and thorns before planting.

Growing sources and scope
  • Bloom · “February to May” · FloraQuest: Carolinas, Georgia (Southeastern Flora Team), phone app (app page) (ranked first; USDA PLANTS differs) · Carolinas and Georgia
  • Flower color · “White” · USDA PLANTS · Nationwide species characteristics; local growing conditions may vary
  • Foliage color · “Green” · USDA PLANTS · Nationwide species characteristics; local growing conditions may vary
  • Fruit begins · “April” · FloraQuest: Carolinas, Georgia (Southeastern Flora Team), phone app (app page) (ranked first; USDA PLANTS differs) · Carolinas and Georgia
  • Fruit ends · “June” · FloraQuest: Carolinas, Georgia (Southeastern Flora Team), phone app (app page) (ranked first; USDA PLANTS differs) · Carolinas and Georgia
  • Growth habit · “Single crown” · USDA PLANTS · Nationwide species characteristics; local growing conditions may vary
  • Growth rate · “Rapid” · USDA PLANTS · Nationwide species characteristics; local growing conditions may vary
  • Height · “About 1.4 feet” · USDA PLANTS (ranked first; Minnesota Wildflowers differs) · Nationwide species characteristics; local growing conditions may vary
  • Life cycle · “Perennial” · Minnesota Wildflowers
  • Light · “Partial shade; Full shade; Full sun (documented habitat)” · FloraQuest: Carolinas, Georgia (Southeastern Flora Team), phone app (app page) · Carolinas and Georgia
  • primary_flower_color · “white” · USDA PLANTS
  • Soil · “Moist; Water; Wet (documented habitat)” · FloraQuest: Carolinas, Georgia (Southeastern Flora Team), phone app (app page) · Carolinas and Georgia
Also known as

Bulbous Bitter Cress

Conservation status

Virginia rankS5
Global rankG5
VA statusNot verified
Federal statusNot verified

Conservation source Global and federal source

In your garden

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Sources