Cardamine obliqua Hochst. ex A.Rich.

Cruciferae, Bengt Jonsell (University of Stockholm). Flora of Tropical East Africa. 1982

Habit

Perennial herb, with single to numerous shoots arising from a creeping rhizome.

Stem

Stems 10–120 cm. long, decumbent to ascending or nearly erect, basally often much branched, rooting, persistent, often with sprouting new shoots, glabrous to densely pubescent.

Leaves

Leaves pinnate, oblong in outline, 2–17 cm. long, 1–6 cm. broad, with long (in the uppermost short) non-clasping petioles, glabrous to densely hispidulous; rosette and cauline leaves with leaflets of similar shape, only in the uppermost narrower; leaflets elliptic to suborbicular in outline, obtuse to acute, truncate to cuneate, entire to coarsely dentate or incised (in vigorous specimens occasionally with secondary leaflets); terminal leaflet usually larger than the laterals, petioled; lateral leaflets sessile or with up to 20 mm. long petioles in 2–5 pairs.

Inflorescences

Racemes mostly terminal with 5–30 flowers on 2–5 mm. long pedicels, in fruit elongate with ascending 10–20 mm. long pedicels with ± erect siliquae.

Calyx

Sepals green to purplish with white margins, 2–4 mm. long, glabrous.

Corolla

Petals white, pink or violet, spathulate, obtuse, at least twice as long as the sepals.

Stamens

Stamens 6, the longer filaments broadly linear, the shorter widening basally; anthers 1–1.5 mm. long.

Pistil

Ovary cylindrical, with a short narrow style and rather flat stigma.

Fruits

Siliqua glabrous, linear, 14–60 mm. long, 1–2.1 mm. broad, tapered towards the style, which is 1.8–4 mm. long and 0.5–0.8 mm. broad.

Seeds

Seeds reddish brown, suborbicular to oblong in outline, 1.2–2.2 mm. long, 1–1.5 mm. broad, finely rugose.

Habitat

In moist forest, moors, on shores of lakes and streams (montane forest to alpine belts); 2000–4900 m.

Distribution

also on the Zaire and Rwanda side of the Ruwenzori and Virunga Mts. and in the Ethiopian highlands K2 K3 K4 K5 K6 T2 T6 T7 U2 U3