Cardamine Pratensis

bio:species:cardamine_pratensis

Cardamine pratensis — cuckooflower, lady's-smock. Brassicaceae, order Brassicales. Characters: a basal rosette of pinnate leaves whose leaflets are rounded, almost stalked coins, and stem leaves whose leaflets are narrow and strap-like — the same plant reading differently top and bottom; flowers in a loose head, four petals set in a cross, pale lilac fading nearly to white, with yellow anthers; the fruit a long slender pod that springs open. Setting: damp and wet meadows, streamsides, ditches, marshy grassland and damp woodland rides. Range: across Europe, northern Asia and northern North America. Naming: pratensis, of the meadow; the English name marks the time rather than the plant — it opens as the cuckoo is first heard.