Brassicaceae

Cardamine hirsuta

Common Names: Common bittercress

Plant Form: Annual rosette herb. Size: Up to 35 cm tall. Stem: Erect, smooth, angled, and branched towards base. Leaves: Variable but tend to be 3-7 pairs of dull green opposite leaflets which are roughly oval-shaped. One larger leaflet at the end that is roughly kidney shaped. Flowers: In variable clusters at the end of stems. Typically with 4 whitish or pinkish petals. Fruit and Seeds: Long narrow flattened capsules 1.5-2 cm long which release oval-shaped and slightly winged seeds explosively up to 5 m from the plant. Habitat: Gardens, glasshouses, lawns, drainage channels, wetlands.