Cuckoo Flower Cardamine Pratensis

Cardamine pratensis the cuckoo flower lady s smock mayflower or milkmaids is a flowering plant in the family brassicaceae native throughout most of europe and western asia.

Cuckoo flower cardamine pratensis.

Cardamine pratensis a sure sign that spring has arrived the cuckooflower blooms from april. Pratensis is near threatened. Cell higher plants version 1 well formed. The flowers are arrayed in a spiral around the inflorescence axis or branches or occur singly or in several ranks.

Checklists containing cardamine pratensis subsp. The meadow froghopper philaenus spumarius is attracted to the sap of these plants and its larvae form frothy blobs on the stems. Dracamine pratensis l nieuwl. The flowers are usually veined with darker violet but in some areas pure white forms can be found.

Our minnesota cuckoo flower is somewhat similar to our native spring cress cardamine bulbosa that can also be found in heavily shaded wet woodlands where it to grows weak and spindly. The specific name pratensis is latin for meadow. However both its round to kidney shaped basal leaves and upper stem leaves are simple not compound divided. The blooms appear in late spring to early summer just at the time as the first cuckoo starts to call.

Cuckooflower cardamine pratensis often known as lady s smock the pretty lilac flowers open around the time the cuckoo starts to call. Paludosa which can be found in southern and central finland in waterside meadows which are prone to flooding and also in many other kinds of damp places. Checklists containing cuckoo flower. It is an important food plant for the caterpillars of the orange tip and the green veined white butterfly.

Cardamine pratensis is the official county flower of the old county of brecknockshire currently within powys and of the county of cheshire. Pratensis is a perennial to 40cm forming a basal rosette of pinnate leaves with rounded leaflets with erect leafy stems bearing short open racemes of 4 petalled pale pink or white flowers 1 5cm across in late spring. Wet meadows lawns pond shores. Look out for its delicate pale pink flowers in damp meadows and ditches and on riverbanks.

Cuckoo flower is a perennial species and no fewer than three sub species can be found growing in finland. Ct ma me nh ri vt. Cardamine pratensis is one of the most beautiful and one of the best loved of our wild flowers. English nbn id code.