Pennsylvania Bittercress

Cardamine pensylvanica Muhl. ex Willd.

Mustard family

Plant Type

Forb/herb

Life Cycle

Annual, Biennial, Perennial

Mature Height

18 inches

Flower Color

White

Bloom Time

Early Spring

Growing Conditions

Light

Shade Tolerance Tolerant

Water

Water Use Medium

Drought Tolerance None

Flood Tolerance Low

Soil

Soil Types Clay, Loam, Sand

CaCO3 Tolerance Medium

Fertility Need Medium

Stress Tolerance

Fire Tolerance None

Salt Tolerance None

Climate

pH Range 4.8 – 6.8

Frost-Free Days 75 days

Precipitation 32 – 55 in

Ecosystem & Wildlife

Pollinators Native Bees; Butterflies; Larval Host (Butterfly)

Larval Host Pieris virginiensis

Fall Color No

Evergreen No

Native Range

USA: Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode I., South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Wyoming
CAN: Alberta, British Columbia, Newfoundland, Manitoba, New Brunswick, Newfoundland, Northwest Territorie, Nova Scotia, Ontario, Prince Edward I., Québec, Saskatchewan, Yukon

Regional Native Status: L48 (N), AK (N), CAN (N), SPM (N)

State-level native status is based on data available through Plants of the World Online. Regional Native Status comes from the USDA Plants Database. For more detailed native status information, please refer to BONAP.