Cardamine flexuosa With.

Taxonomy: Fam. Brassicaceae// Genus:  Cardamine// Species: Cardamine flexuosa With.

Lifeform: Perrenial; hemicryptophyte according to the Raunkiær system.

Determined according to the botanical keys provided by Jones in Tutin et al. (1964), Jovanović-Dunjić in Josifović (1972) and Micevski in Micevski (1995).

Note: A somewhat similar species to Cardamine hirsuta L. Both species occur in the Osogovo region and differ in a number of morphological characteristics, as well as their ecological traits. In C. flexuosa the stem is distinctly branched throughout (both at the base and above); the stems are flexuous, hairy all the way from the base to the inflorescence; the cauline leaves are more numerous, the lower cauline leaves are similar or larger than the basal leaves from which they are not clearly separated; the flowers have 6 stamens; pedicels of flowers are c. 4 – 4.5 mm long. The fruits do not or slightly overtop the flower buds; the distribution of this species in the Osogovo region is more restricted, occurring in wet habitats – on the banks of rivers and streams, from c. 400 up to 1400 m altitude. Recorded on two localities – gorge of “Kochanska” River and in Ponikva – springs of Venechka River.

In comparison, C. hirsuta has erect strait stem branched at the base; branching above is much less pronounced; the stems are glabrous or sparsely hairy in the lower part; the stem has a maximum of 4 cauline leaves which are usually distinctly separated from the numerous basal leaves arranged in a rosette; the flowers have 4 stamens; pedicels of flowers are shorter than in C. flexuosa. The fruits always distinctly overtop the flower buds; in the Osogovo region C. hirsuta is widely distributed and much more common than C. flexuosa, occurring in a wide array of habitats – grasslands, pastures, rocky terrains and stony ground, edges and clearings of forests, gardens, orchards, cultivated ground, roadsides.

Distribution: Native from Europe to Northwest Africa and Iran according to the Plants of the World Online portal (Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew).

Habitat: Wet habitats – riverbanks – found in the gorge of “Kochanska” River, along the river bank.

Flowering period: Spring – early summer: APR, MAY, JUN.

Locality: springs of ‘Venechka” River.

Locality: ‘Kochanska” River.

References:

Cardamine flexuosa With. Plants of the World Online, Royal Botanic Gardens Kew. https://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:45189-2 [Accessed 10.04.2024].

Cardamine L. Jones, B.M.G. in Tutin, T.G., Heywood, V.H., Burges, N.A., Moore, D.M., Valentine, D.H., Walters, S.M., & Webb, D.A. (1964). Flora Europaea. Volume 1. Lycopodiaceae to Platanaceae. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, pp. 285 – 289.

Cardamine L. Micevski, K. in Micevski, K. (1995). The Flora of the Republic of Macedonia Vol. I, Book 3. Macedonian Academy of Sciences and Arts, pp. 620 – 630.

Rod Cardamine L. Jovanović-Dunjić, R. in Josifović, M. (1972). Flora SR Srbije III. Srpska Akademija Nauka i Umetnosti, Beograd, pp. 245 – 265.

Last update: 18.12.2025.