Biological Name:
Cardamine parviflora (Smallflowered-Bittercress)
Natural Habitat:
Smallflowered-Bittercress: Fields and meadows, North America
Description:
Smallflowered-Bittercress also known as Cardamine is a plant that is native to grassland and prairie regions of North America. It is an annual herb that can grow up to two feet tall and it has small delicate leaves and small white or pink flowers that bloom in the spring. The plant is known for its bitter taste and it was once used as a medicinal herb to treat various ailments.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Q: What does bittercress look like?
A: Hairy bittercress is a hardy, frost-tolerant plant that remains green throughout the winter in most climates. Tiny white flowers appear on upright, wiry stems in early spring and continue to bloom until autumn.
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Q: What does the flower Aubretia look like?
A: Aubretia flowers are in shades of light blue, mauve and pink and some varieties have variegated foliage, all are low-growing, small plants.
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Q: How do you get rid of common bittercress?
A: Hairy bittercress infestations can be reduced by frequent mowing in early spring to remove flower stems, increasing turf density through proper fertilization practices, and selection of turfgrasses that are well-adapted to site conditions.
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Q: What plant looks like pigweed?
A: Palmer amaranth plants look similar to other pigweeds and especially as seedlings. Palmer leaves, stems, and petioles are hairless and petioles are usually longer than the leaf blade.
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Q: Should I remove hairy bittercress?
A: Hairy bittercress is best managed mechanically when it is young. Remove it by hand, hoe or tillage in early fall or early spring before it sets seed. If plants are flowering, composting is discouraged as seeds may develop.
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Q: Is bittercress good for gardens?
A: Bittercress Uses During Winter It’s an excellent aphid trap crop during winter. While other plants become wrinkly during winter, they remain in firm condition. It makes them a good cover crop for the season.
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Q: Is Little bittercress edible?
A: Hairy bittercress (Cardamine hirsuta) leafs out in a basal rosette, and like other members of the mustard family (Brassicaceae), its tender greens are edible. Don’t be fooled by the common name, its flavor is mild and peppery, not bitter.
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Q: How do you know if you have a hairy bittercress?
A: Seedlings: Hairy Bittercress cotyledons (3 mm long (~1/10â€)) are rounded, hairy on the surface, and form on long petioles. The weed’s first 2 true leaves are kidney- to heart-shaped. The subsequent leaves that emerge on the plant have 2-4 pairs of alternate leaflets and a larger terminal leaflet.
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Q: How do I get rid of bittercress?
A: Hairy bittercress infestations can be reduced by frequent mowing in early spring to remove flower stems, increasing turf density through proper fertilization practices, and selection of turfgrasses that are well-adapted to site conditions.
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Q: Is hairy bittercress invasive?
A: Hairy bittercress is an annual spring or winter invasive broadleaf weed. During its life cycle, it has the ability to produce and explosively scatter large amounts of its seeds from siliques (long, slender seed pods that form by the flower of the plant). This weed can reach up to 4-12 inches tall.
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Q: What does the plant henbit look like?
A: Henbit flowers are pink to purple with darker purple spots than those of purple deadnettle. The flowers of henbit are longer and more slender than those of purple deadnettle. The leaves of purple deadnettle at the apex of the stems are tinted purple and fade to green as they mature.
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Q: Is hairy bittercress poisonous?
A: Hairy bittercress (Cardamine hirsuta) is a really unfortunate name for a wonderfully tasty edible weed that is perfect for foraging. It’s a wild mustard, so its bitterness is more spicy-hot than bitter, though it’s not nearly as hot as some other members of the Brassicaceae family.
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Q: Are hairy bittercress flowers edible?
A: Hairy Bittercress flowers and leaves are edible and valuable nutrients. Although the name suggests that they may taste bitter, they actually have a mild peppery taste. A few sprigs may be added to salads, salsas, and pesto. The flowers are tougher to chew.
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Q: Is Amaranth a pigweed?
A: Amaranthus retroflexus is known by many other names besides pigweed, including green amaranth, redroot amaranth, careless weed, tumbleweed, and callaloo. Like other members of the amaranth family, it has a storied history and an important role as a food staple in many cultures.
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Q: Is Pennsylvania Bittercress edible?
A: Facts. An inconspicuous native annual or biennial of moist sites, the young stems and leaves of Pennsylvania bitter-cress are edible.
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Q: Is bittercress a chickweed?
A: The chickweed grows low and spreads. The bittercress is that weed with a rosette of disk-shaped leaves and a slender stalk capped in clusters of white flowers.
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Q: Are all pigweed edible?
A: While all parts of pigweed plants are edible, some parts have more popular uses than others. For example the young plants and growing tips of older plants make nutritious vegetables that can be boiled like spinach or eaten raw as salad.
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Q: What is the most poisonous plant in PA?
A: Poison hemlock can grow several feet tall and has white clusters of flowers. It often has purple blotches on the stems. More:Deadly poison hemlock ‘spreading rampantly’ in central Pa.
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Q: Is pigweed edible for humans?
A: The leaves of pigweed are also incredibly nutritious. They’re high in vitamins A and C and folate, as well as calcium. In Jamaica, pigweed is known as callaloo and is a culinary staple.
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