About Cardamine impatiens L.
Cardamine impatiens, commonly called narrowleaf bittercress or narrow-leaved bitter-cress, is a plant species belonging to the genus Cardamine in the mustard family Brassicaceae. It is a slender biennial herb that grows sterile leaves during its first year, then produces one to several flowering stems in its second year. Its leaves are pinnate, with several pairs of toothed, lanceolate leaflets and a terminal leaflet that is slightly longer than the side leaflets. Its short petals extend past the calyx by half of the calyx's total length. Seeds are arranged in a single row on each side of the central membrane inside the narrow seed pod, called a silique. As the silique dries, built-up tension causes the seeds to be ejected out all at once in a shower. This species grows on walls and open ground located in shady forest areas, usually in sites disturbed by human activity. It is native to temperate Eurasia, with a native range stretching from Ireland and Spain east to the Russian Far East.
