springcress, Cardamine bulbosa

Springcress because it springs up? Or more likely because it blooms in late spring? Or even more likely because it likes to grow in medium damp spots that transition from wet to dry, like edges of springs. In this case it was in a fen, where the spring water is very basic pH. There were only a few plants on tussocks where they could keep their roots a little bit away from that water. On the other side of the valley the spring water is more neutral, and there is a lot more springcress. The only note about springcress in the Ethnobotany Database is that the Iroquois used the root as poison. Because it's called cress does not mean it's edible! Springcress grows in AL, AR, CT, DE, FL, GA, IA, IL, IN, KS, KY, LA, MA, MD, MI, MN, MO, MS, NC, NE, NH, NJ, NY, OH, OK, PA, RI, SC, SD, TN, TX, VA, WA, WI, WV, MB, ON, and QC. Ives Fen Preserve, Lenawee Co MI, 5/21/11. Mustard family, Brassicaceae.