# Cardamine constancei

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{{Short description|Species of flowering plant}}
{{Speciesbox
| image = Cardamineconstancei.jpg
| status = G3
| status_system = TNC
| status_ref = <ref name=":2"/>
| genus = Cardamine
| species = constancei
| authority = Detling
}}

'''''Cardamine constancei''''' is a rare, narrow-[ranged](/source/Species_distribution) species of [perennial](/source/perennial) [rhizomatous](/source/Rhizome) [forb](/source/forb) known by the common name '''Constance's bittercress'''. It is [endemic](/source/Endemism) to select [tributaries](/source/Tributary) of the [Clearwater](/source/Clearwater_River_(Idaho)) and [Coeur d'Alene River](/source/Coeur_d'Alene_River)s in [Idaho](/source/Idaho).<ref name=":0">Lichthardt, Juanita. [https://idfg.idaho.gov/ifwis/idnhp/cdc_pdf/carcos94.pdf "Establishment of Monitoring Plots for Constance's Bittercrest (''Cardamine constancei'' Detl.).] (1995).</ref>

==Description==

Constance's bittercress has an erect, unbranched stem ranging from {{cvt|1|to|1.5|mm}} in diameter; it ranges from [glabrous](/source/Glabrousness) to sparsely hairy. It has four to seven cauline leaves that are typically [ovate](/source/Ovate_(leaf)) in shape with serrated edges and a [cuneate](/source/Cuneate_leaf) base. Leaves range from {{cvt|5|to|13|cm}} in length and {{cvt|20|to|65|mm}} in width. The flowers are pink or white with [oblanceolate](/source/oblanceolate) petals that range from {{cvt|15|to|28|mm}} in length and {{cvt|5|to|8|mm}} in width. The fruits are linear and {{cvt|2.5|to|3.5|cm}} in length and {{cvt|1.9|to|2.1|mm}} in width.<ref>{{Cite web |title=''Cardamine constancei'' |url=https://swbiodiversity.org/seinet/taxa/index.php?taxon=Cardamine+constancei&formsubmit=Search+Terms |access-date= |website=SEINet Portal Network}}</ref>

The plant flowers from May to June.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |title=''Cardamine constancei'' in Flora of North America (Vol. 7) |url=http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=1&taxon_id=250094603 |access-date= |website=efloras.org}}</ref>

== Range and habitat ==
Constance's bittercress is endemic to the [Clearwater Mountain range](/source/Clearwater_Mountains) in north-central Idaho. Populations have been found around the North and Middle Forks of the Clearwater River and throughout the [Selway](/source/Selway_River), [Coeur d'Alene](/source/Coeur_d'Alene_River), and [St. Joe](/source/Saint_Joe_River) River [canyon](/source/canyon)s in [Clearwater](/source/Clearwater_County%2C_Idaho), [Idaho](/source/Idaho_County%2C_Idaho), [Kootenai](/source/Kootenai_County%2C_Idaho), [Nez Perce](/source/Nez_Perce_County%2C_Idaho), and [Shoshone](/source/Shoshone_County%2C_Idaho) Counties in Idaho.<ref name=":2">{{Cite web |title=''Cardamine constancei'' |url=https://explorer.natureserve.org/Taxon/ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.157986/Cardamine_constancei |access-date= |website=NatureServe Explorer}}</ref><ref name=":1" /> It is most commonly found around the Selway River. The species is fairly abundant throughout its limited range, but is sensitive to human [disturbance](/source/Disturbance_(ecology)).<ref name=":2" /> The ability of the plant to spread and set seed is limited by soil moisture levels.<ref>Crawford, R.C. 1980. Ecological investigations and management implications of six northern Idaho endemic plants on the proposed endangered and threatened lists. Moscow, ID: University of Idaho. Thesis. 200 pp.</ref>

This species is most often found in moist, low-elevation ({{cvt|400|–|600|ft}}) mixed [conifer](/source/conifer)ous forests along rivers, specifically in the [redcedar](/source/Thuja_plicata)/[maidenhair fern](/source/maidenhair_fern) habitat type.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":3">Brunsfeld, Steven J., and Jack Sullivan. [https://www.webpages.uidaho.edu/~jacks/BrunsfeldSullivan.pdf "A multi-compartmented glacial refugium in the northern Rocky Mountains: evidence from the phylogeography of ''Cardamine constancei'' (Brassicaceae)."] ''Conservation Genetics'' 6 (2005): 895-904.</ref> It is tolerant of light disturbance and appears to favor shaded to partly open habitat, wooded creek bottoms, and hillsides.<ref name=":0" /><ref>{{Cite web |title=''Cardamine constancei'' |url=https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=CACO27 |access-date= |website=Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center - The University of Texas at Austin}}</ref> Flowering is rare and mainly occurs in plants in canopy openings; it will usually not flower in dense shade.<ref name=":0" />

Contsance's bittercress only occurs in a known [refugium](/source/Refugium_(population_biology)) for a number of rare, narrow-ranged endemics such as the [Idaho giant salamander](/source/Idaho_giant_salamander) and [nimapuna tigersnail](/source/Anguispira_nimapuna).<ref name=":3" /> The canyons where the plant currently grows were not [glaciated](/source/glaciated) during the last [Pleistocene](/source/Pleistocene) [ice age](/source/ice_age), and its range does not extend into canyons that were previously glaciated. Brunsfeld and Sullivan propose that the plant's current range is a [relict population](/source/Relict_(biology)) that became isolated in the canyons during the last ice age, and has subsequently not re-[colonized](/source/Colonisation_(biology)) its former range.<ref name=":3" />

== Threats ==
Constance's bittercress is threatened by human habitat modification, specifically [mining](/source/mining), road building, [logging](/source/logging), and decades of fire suppression.<ref name=":2" /> Its narrow range and specific habitat requirements have the potential to exacerbate the negative effects of human activities. As a result, the species is listed as vulnerable both at a federal and state level.<ref name=":2" />

==References==
{{Reflist}}

{{Taxonbar|from=Q15537640}}

constancei
Category:Flora of Idaho
Category:Plants described in 1935

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Cardamine constancei](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cardamine_constancei) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cardamine_constancei?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.