Cardamine leucantha (Tausch) O. E. Schulz

The above first record from Sichuan is based on Henry 5572 (GH, K, P, US).

Dried plants are used as a tea substitute, the rhizomes are medicinal, and seedlings are edible.

Herbs perennial, 25-75 cm tall, sparsely to densely villous. Rhizomes creeping, slender, not scaly or stoloniferous. Stems simple, flexuous. Cauline leaves 4-7, including petiole (8-)10-20(-25) cm; petiole (1-)2-8(-10) cm, not auriculate at base; terminal leaflet lanceolate, elliptic, to ovate-elliptic, (3-)4-9(-13) × (0.6-)1-3.5(-4) cm, adaxially shortly strigose or puberulent, abaxially pilose or long strigose, with a petiolule 5-13(-20) mm, base cuneate, margin antrorsely ciliate and irregularly serrate, doubly serrate, or subdentate, apex acuminate or rarely acute; lateral leaflets 2 or 3 pairs, rarely uppermost leaf trifoliolate, similar to terminal one, smaller, sessile, base cuneate or sometimes oblique. Racemes 12-24-flowered. Fruiting pedicels divaricate or ascending, (0.5-)1-1.8(-2.3) cm, pilose or puberulent, slender. Sepals oblong, (2-)2.5-3.5 × 0.9-1.5 mm, margin membranous, pilose abaxially. Petals white, spatulate to oblong-oblanceolate, 6-8 × 2-3.5(-4) mm, cuneate and not clawed at base, apex rounded. Median filament pairs 5-6 mm, lateral pair 4-5 mm; anther oblong, 0.8-1.3 mm. Ovules 6-12 per ovary. Fruit linear, (1-)1.5-3 cm × 1-1.5 mm; gynophore 0.3-0.8(-1) mm; valves smooth, sparsely hairy or glabrous; style slender, (2-)3-5 mm. Seeds brown, oblong, 1.5-2.2 × 0.8-1.2 mm, narrowly winged or wingless. Fl. Apr-Jul, fr. May-Aug. 2n = 16.

Anhui, Gansu, Guizhou, Hebei, Heilongjiang, Henan, Hubei, Jiangsu, Jiangxi, Jilin, Liaoning, Nei Mongol, Ningxia, Shaanxi, Shanxi, Sichuan, Zhejiang [Japan, Korea, Mongolia, Russia].

Roadsides, shady areas, forests, wet places along streams, roadsides; 100-2000 m.

Dentaria leucantha Tausch, Flora 19: 404. 1836; Cardamine cathayensis Migo; C. dasyloba (Turczaninow) Miquel; C. leucantha var. crenata D. C. Zhang; C. macrophylla Willdenow var. parviflora Trautvetter; D. dasyloba Turczaninow; D. macrophylla (Willdenow) Bunge ex Maximowicz var. dasyloba (Turczaninow) Makino.