Cardamine pratensis

Common Name: 
cuckoo bittercress, cuckooflower, lady's smock, milkmaid
Scientific Name: 
Cardamine pratensis L.
Family Name: 
Brassicaceae (Cruciferae) - Mustard Family
Identification Notes
Life Cycle
introduced perennial, reproducing by seed and short rhizomes
Stems
upright, reproductive, smooth, multiple from base, usually unbranched
Stems of Cuckoo Bittercress
Stems of Cuckoo Bittercress
Stems of Cuckoo Bittercress
Leaves
basal leaves - pinnately divided with 3 to 8 leaflets, leaflets oval to kidney-shaped, terminal larger, stem leaves – greater number of leaflets to about 19, leaflets similar to base leaflet below becoming more linear above
Leaves of Cuckoo Bittercress
Flowers
4-petaled, pale pink to white; terminal, branched dense cluster
Flowers of Cuckoo Bittercress
Flowers of Cuckoo Bittercress
Seed Pods
silique, narrow, cylindrical, held upright on ascending stalks