Cardamine africana L.

Cardamine species annual, biennials or perennial herbs. Rootstock slender, branched, taproot. Stem simple or branched, erect, prostrate or decumbent, glaucous or pubescent with simple hairs. Leaves rhizomal or basal, simple, ternate, in rosulate or not, base cuneate to auriculate, margin entire to sparsely dentate, apex acute to obtuse, glabrous or pubescent, petiolate to subsessile, cauline leaves alternate, rarely opposite, petiolate to sessile. Inflorescence racemes corymbs or panicles, terminal, many flowered, ebracteate. Flowers bisexual, bluish, white, mauve to pink, actinomorphic, pedicel erect, ascending, stout or slender, divaricate, elongated in fruit, sepals 4, erect, oblong to ovate, caducous, inner ones somewhat pouched, basal pair saccate or not, petals 4 or rarely absent, obovate-subspathulate, base cuneate, margin entire, apex obtuse to emarginate, claw strongly differentiated or absent. Stamens 6 or rarely 4, equal, filaments subulate, not dilated, anthers oblong, nectar glands 4 confluent, lateral one annular or semiannular, median glands absent, 2 or rarely 4. ovary superior, bicarpellary, syncarpous, cylindrical, ovules 4-40, style usually distinct rarely obsolete, stigma capitate. Fruit siliqua, dehiscent, compressed, to broadly linear to narrow, tapering near the base and apex, subcylindric, short, slightly curved, bilocular, valves papery, indistinctly midveined, dehiscing explosively, later spirally coiled. Seeds few to many, uniseriate, compressed, globose-ovoid, rarely winged, finely turberculate, mucilaginous or not when soaked, cotyledons accumbent.

Flowering class: Dicot Habit: Herb Distribution notes: Exotic

Flowering and fruiting: Throughout the year

Cardamine species flowers are complete, bisexual, i.e., with functional male (androecium) and female (gynoecium), including stamens, carpels and ovary. Pollination is entomophilous i.e., by insects, or cleistogamy i.e., by self or allogamy i.e., by cross pollination. Flowering/Fruiting: October-December.

Seeds may be dispersed by autochory i.e., self dispersal, anemochory i.e., wind dispersal, zoochory i.e., dispersal by birds or animals, anthropochory i.e., dispersal by humans.

Erect, prostrate or decumbent perennial herbs, about 30-60 cm tall. Rootstock slender, taproot with many fibrous hairs. Stem simple or branched, erect, prostrate or decumbent, pubescent with simple hairs. Leaves mostly radical trifoliate, not in rosulate, triangular-broadly ovate, in outline, about 4-8 x 3.5-7 cm across, leaflets lanceolate, lateral leaflets smaller than the terminal leaflet, base cuneate, margin ciliate, dentate, apex acute to obtuse, subglaucous sparsely hairy above, densely pubescent beneath with short simple hairs, petiole slender, about 2-6 cm long. Inflorescence racemes corymbs, terminal, many flowered, ebracteate. Flowers bisexual, greenish white to cream white, actinomorphic, about 4-6 mm across, pedicel erect, ascending, slender, divaricate, elongated in fruit, sepals 4, suberect, oblong, caducous, inner ones somewhat pouched, about 3 x 1.5 mm across , petals 4, obovate-oblong, base cuneate, margin entire, apex obtuse to emarginate, about 5 x 1.5 mm across. Stamens 6, equal, filaments subulate, not dilated about 3-5 mm long, anthers oblong, nectar glands 4 confluent, lateral one annular or semiannular. ovary superior, bicarpellary, syncarpous, cylindrical, ovules 4-16, style usually distinct rarely obsolete, stigma capitate. Fruit siliqua, dehiscent, compressed, linear, tapering near the base and apex, subcylindric, short, erect slightly curved, valves papery, indistinctly midveined, dehiscing explosively, later spirally coiled, crowded or sublax, about 2-4 cm long. Seeds 8-10, uniseriate, compressed, globose-ellipsoid, finely turberculate, brown, cotyledons accumbent.

Cardamine species are susceptible to insect pests, virus, mildews and moulds.

Notes: Western Ghats & Eastern Ghats, Native of Africa

Subtropical to temperate forests, altitude 1500-2500 m.

Degraded forest areas and plantations at high ranges

Not evaluated (IUCN).