States
North CarolinaTennesseeGeorgiaSouth CarolinaKentuckyAlabamaFloridaVirginia
Menu

Narrowleaf Bittercress

Cardamine impatiens

Found in alluvial floodplains (in NC, VA, and WV, notably in the New River drainage). Weakley, Flora of the Southeastern United States (2025), Northern Tier edition What its natural habitat tells you

—
Not native

Not native to Virginia. How scores work Is it native here?

Profile 71%

Height
6 inches–2.5 feet
Light
Partial shade, Full shade, Full sun
Soil moisture
Dry to wet
See native alternatives

Plant this instead

Choose your county to list local plants first.

  • Blue Mistflower
    Conoclinium coelestinum

    Sun: Full sun, Partial shade. Soil: Usually moist. Flowers: Blue, pink or purple.

    Similar growth form, height, light

  • Narrowleaf Sundrops
    Oenothera fruticosa

    Sun: Full sun, Partial shade. Soil: Somewhat dry to moist. Flowers: Yellow.

    Similar growth form, height, bloom season

  • Northern Bed Straw
    Galium boreale

    Sun: Part shade. Soil: Average to moist. Flowers: White.

    Similar growth form, height, bloom season

Refine these alternatives in the finder

Check a whole list of plants

At a glance

Life cycle
Annual or biennial
Bloom
June to July

Not yet recorded · Spread · Leaves

Recorded in 9 Virginia counties.

Also found with this plant

Wildlife whose habitat models include habitats this plant grows in, in Virginia. Shared habitat, not food. 127 animals.

All wildlife of Virginia

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)
—BeesSoutheastern regional records
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

Growing and identification

Plant details

Family
Brassicaceae

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

Growing sources and scope

Conservation status

Virginia rankSNA
Global rankGNR
VA statusNot verified
Federal statusNot verified

Conservation source Global and federal source

Sources