Flower
Hairy Bittercress
Cardamine hirsutaAlso known as Popping Cress, Shotweed, Snapweed, Hairy Wood-Cress
Hairy bittercress forms low-growing basal rosettes of pinnate leaves before shooting up slender flowering stems crowned with minute, four-petaled white flowers. Mature seed pods, called siliques, build hydrostatic pressure as they dry and explosively shatter at the slightest disturbance, catapulting seeds up to several meters away. This rapid-cycling winter annual thrives in bare or disturbed soil, producing multiple generations in a single mild season.
AnnualWildflowerHerbaceous
—observations
—countries
—peak records
Least ConcernConservation statusIUCN Red List categoriesLCNTVUENCREWEXLeast ConcernRed List categories, explained →
Diet & preyAutotroph (photosynthesis)
Predators
- Slugs
- Aphids
- Flea beetles
ThreatsHerbicide application, intensive hand weeding, frequent mowing
HabitatsDisturbed soil, garden beds, nursery pots, pavement cracks, turf
Life spanSeveral months (winter annual)
Classification
- OrderBrassicales
- FamilyBrassicaceae
- GenusCardamine
- SpeciesCardamine hirsuta
Range data is not available yet.
Interaction riskLow
- Low
- Moderate
- High
- Very high
- Why interaction risk is low
- Safe to observe at a normal distance.
Responsible observation
- Seed dispersal: Lightly touch a mature brown seed pod to trigger its explosive launch.
- Spring scouting: Look for compact basal rosettes in cool, moist soil before other plants sprout.
Frequent Companion (c) Joss Carr, some rights reserved (CC BY), uploaded by Joss Carr · cc-by
Host Plant Charles J. Sharp / CC BY-SA 4.0 · cc-by-sa
Close Relative (c) Kieran Roy Powell, some rights reserved (CC BY), uploaded by Kieran Roy Powell · cc-by
Close Relative (c) Jacqui Geux, some rights reserved (CC BY), uploaded by Jacqui Geux · cc-by
Help improve the field guideSomething wrong?
Checking your Fauna account…Report a name, category, or profile issue for review.