Wildflower Wednesday: A Side Of Mustard

Cardamine diphylla

I am just now starting to enjoy the condiment mustard, but, I have loved the mustard family of plants for a very long time. It's also known as the cabbage family, crucifers and officially as Brassicaceae. It's an economically important family that includes --cabbage, cauliflower, kohlrabi, Brussels sprouts, broccoli, and kale.  

But, this post isn't about vegetables, it's about one of my favorite spring blooming mustards~the toothwort! Which by the way, is completely edible!

Cutleaf toothwort's terminal clustered flowers are white, pink, or pale purple.

I love toothworts.

Cutleaf toothwort was the first wildflower to catch my eye the spring after we moved here. It was a very busy time in my life, I had a pre-schooler and a growing therapy practice but, there was always time to explore a new garden on a warm spring morning. I recall being completely charmed by the nodding bell flowers that grew here and there on the weedy lawn. They imprinted on my heart and every spring my winter tired spirit soars when I see the budding flowers.

It plays well with other wildflowers

Of the four toothworts  found in Tennessee, the cutleaf toothwort is the happiest in my garden.  It has formed small colonies and usually begins blooming in late February here in my Zone7 garden, elsewhere in it's native range (Eastern US and parts of southern Canada) it might not appear until April.  It prefers moist forested woodlands with lots of decaying leaves and dappled sunlight. It plays well with other spring ephemerals and quietly disappears by early summer leaving space for summer blooming plants to do their thing.

Taxonomist, here after known as those who are often ignored, have merged the toothworts into the genus Cardamine (Bitter Cress), so now, the scientific name of Cutleaf Toothwort is Cardamine concatenata. Another name change that I drag my feet on~Dentaria flows off the tongue much easier...and makes sense when you consider that the dens in the name refers directly to the many tooth like characteristic of this wildflower.  In fact, the name toothwort refers to the plant’s toothed, or scaly, rootstock. 

But, Cardamine it is!

Showy flowers have ultra-violet nectar guides to attract pollinators

Since spring ephemerals bloom very early they have had to adapt to the vagaries of weather and pollinator activity, consequently, toothworts in particular have adapted to attract a variety of pollinators. They are nectar producers and are visited by honey bees, bumblebees, Mason bees, Cuckoo bees (Nomadine), Miner bees, Halictid bees, and Andrenid bees. Less often, the nectar of the flowers attracts early spring butterflies and Bombylius major (Giant Bee Fly). Short-tongued bees also collect pollen from the flowers. (source). In a warm year they might even be visited by Spring Azure butterfly.

the name crucifer is in reference to the suggestion of a cross (crucifix) shape formed by the 4 spreading petals.

This has not been a warm year! Pollinators haven't been out and about very often. Not to worry, this clever plant has several non-showy flowers that can self-pollinate.

Don't you think nature is amazing! We must do more to take care of it.
xoxogail 

Welcome to Clay and Limestone's Wildflower Wednesday celebration. WW is about sharing and celebrating wildflowers from all over this great big, beautiful world. Join us on the fourth Wednesday of each month. Remember, it doesn't matter if they are in bloom or not; and, it doesn't matter if we all share the same plants. It's all about celebrating wildflowers. Please leave a comment when you add your url to Mr Linky. 


Gail Eichelberger is a gardener and therapist in Middle Tennessee. She loves wildflowers and native plants and thoroughly enjoys writing about the ones she grows at Clay and Limestone. She reminds all that the words and images are the property of the author and cannot be used without written permission.