Narrow-leaf Bittercress
Cardamine impatiens

Family: Brassicaceae

What it is like

A cabbage family herb. It grows 20-65 cm tall. It can be hairy. The leaves vary in size. The leaves are 3-7 cm long. They have lobes. The lobes are oval. The flowers are white and in groups of 20-30 flowers. The flowers are 3-4 mm across. The fruit is a pod. There are many seeds about 1 mm long.

There are about 160 Cardamine species. They are mostly in damp places in temperate regions.

Where it is found

It is a temperate plant. It grows in shady or moist slopes, stream sides, fields, roadsides near sea level to 4000 m altitude in China. It grows between 1500-4000 m altitude in Nepal. It grows in wetlands.

Countries/locations it is found in

Afghanistan, Africa, Asia, Bhutan, Britain, Central Asia, China, Europe, Haiti, Hawaii, Himalayas, India, Japan, Kashmir, Kazakhstan, Korea, Kyrgyzstan, Luxembourg, Mongolia, Nepal, Northeastern India, NW India, Pakistan, Russia, Sikkim, Slovenia, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, SW Asia, naturalised in S Africa and North America, Tajikistan, West Indies

How it is used for food

The tender shoots and leaves are cooked as a vegetable. They are also eaten as a salad.

Edible parts

Leaves, flowers

How it is grown

Plants are grown from seed.

Its other names

Local names

Daraati, Penuša nedotika, Sim sag, Tan lie sui mi qi

Synonyms

Cardamine basisagittata W. T. Wang; Cardamine dasycarpa Mar-schall von Bieberstein; Cardamine glaphyropoda O. E. Schulz; Cardamine glaphyropoda var. crenata T. Y. Cheo & R. C. Fang; Cardamine impatiens var. angustifolia O. E. Schulz; Cardamine impatiens var. dasycarpa (Marschall von Bieberstein) T. Y. Cheo & R. C. Fang; Cardamine impatiens subsp. elongata O. E. Schulz; Cardamine impatiens var. eriocarpa de Candolle; Cardamine impatiens var. fumaria H. Léveillé; Cardamine impatiens var. microphylla O. E. Schulz; Cardamine impatiens var. obtusifolia Knaf; Cardamine impatiens var. pilosa O. E. Schulz; Cardamine nakaiana H. Léveillé; Cardamine senanensis Franchet & Savatier