Cardamine sp.
Bitter-cress, Bitter-Cress
(c) Peter O, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA) · licence
Family: Brassicaceae · Type: Perennial · Variable; species dependent
Cardamine sp. (Bitter-cress) is a non-native California perennial in the Brassicaceae family.
How to tell it apart
vs Raphanus: Cardamine has narrow pencil-like pods with many seeds; Raphanus has thick beaked pods that break into segments.; vs Nasturtium: Cardamine grows on moist land in shade; Nasturtium grows in or at the edge of water in sun.; vs Viola: Cardamine has four petals and thin seed pods; Viola has five petals and a capsule that splits into three parts.; vs Vancouveria: Cardamine has four-petaled flowers and seed pods; Vancouveria has six-petaled flowers and follicles.; vs Lepidium: Cardamine has narrow pods with many seeds; Lepidium has flattened round pods with only 2 seeds.
Frequently asked questions
Is Cardamine sp. native to California?
No. Cardamine sp. is not native to California (recorded as variable; species dependent).
What plant family does Cardamine sp. belong to?
Cardamine sp. is in the Brassicaceae family, genus Cardamine.
Related species
Other California species in the same genus, family, or bioregion.
- Cardamine angulata — Seaside bitter cress
- Cardamine bellidifolia — Alpine bittercress
- Cardamine bellidifolia var. pachyphylla — fleshy toothwort
- Cardamine breweri — Brewer's bitter cress
- Cardamine californica — Milk maids
- Cardamine cordifolia — Heartleaf bittercress
- Carrichtera annua — Wards weed
- Carrichtera sp.
- Caulanthus amplexicaulis — Clasping leaved caulanthus
- Caulanthus amplexicaulis var. barbarae — Santa Barbara Jewelflower
Sources: Jepson eFlora · CalPhotos
Last updated 2026-04-14
Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Cal-IPC, and more.