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Blue Ridge Bittercress

Cardamine flagellifera

Found in seepages, on streambanks, and in moist cove or bottomland forests, mainly at moderate to low elevations. Weakley, Flora of the Southeastern United States (2025), Northern Tier edition What its natural habitat tells you

51
Strong

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

Profile 94%

Height
Up to about 10 inches
Light
Partial shade, Full shade
Soil moisture
Moist to standing water
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At a glance

Life cycle
Perennial
Bloom
March to May
Fruiting season
June to July

Not yet recorded · Spread · Leaves

Recorded in 1 West Virginia county.

Natural habitats

Places it grows wild. Not a planting requirement. Each habitat page lists the plants and wildlife also found there.

1 of 4

Seeps and springs

Places where groundwater keeps the soil or rock wet, such as seepage slopes and spring runs.

Streams, rivers and their banks

Flowing water and its banks, bars and rocky shoals.

Floodplain and bottomland forests

Forests on low ground beside rivers and streams that flood from time to time.

Rich cove forests

Sheltered, moist mountain hollows and lower slopes with deep, fertile soil.

All habitats

Also found with this plant

Wildlife whose habitat models include habitats this plant grows in, in West Virginia. Shared habitat, not food. 137 animals.

All wildlife of West Virginia

Ecological relationships

Who uses this plant?

What these records mean

3CaterpillarsGenus host records with ranges including WV

Genus host records with ranges including WV · 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

No records yet · Ants · Beetles · Flies · Adult butterflies / moths · Other wasps · Other insects

Growing and identification

Plant details

Family
Brassicaceae
Flower color
White
Fruit begins
June
Fruit ends
July

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

Growing sources and scope
Also known as

Blue Ridge Bitter Cress

Conservation status

West Virginia rankS3
Global rankG3
WV statusNot verified
Federal statusNot verified

Conservation source Global and federal source

In your garden

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Sources