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Cardamine californica
milkmaids
California and the western United States
Overview
Cardamine californica, known as milkmaids or California toothwort, is a perennial spring wildflower in the mustard family native to the western United States. It grows 8-24 inches (20-60 cm) tall from a slender, creeping rhizome and is among the first woodland flowers to open after winter rains. The leaves vary on a single plant: basal leaves are rounded to heart-shaped, while stem leaves are divided into three to five narrow leaflets, all green and sometimes purple-tinged beneath. Loose clusters of four-petaled flowers, white to pale pink and about 0.5-0.75 inch (12-18 mm) across, open from late winter into spring. The flowers feed early bees and are a host for the larvae of the Sara orangetip butterfly. Slender seed pods follow and split to fling out their seed. As the soil dries in late spring the plant sets seed and goes dormant, disappearing until the next wet season. It grows in shaded canyons, oak woodland, and chaparral edges, and its short, ephemeral season limits its presence in the garden to a few months.
Native Range
Native to the western United States, mainly the California Floristic Province, from southern Oregon south through California to Baja California. It grows in shaded oak woodland, mixed-evergreen forest, canyon slopes, and the edges of chaparral, mostly below 4,000 feet (1,200 m).Suggested Uses
Used in woodland and native shade gardens, under deciduous oaks, and in naturalized plantings for early-season bloom. Combines with ferns and other spring ephemerals that share its moist-winter, dry-summer cycle.How to Identify
Appearance
Size & Dimensions
Height8" - 2'
Width/Spread6" - 1'
Bloom Information
Detailed Descriptions
Flower Description
white to pale pinkFoliage Description
greenGrowing Conditions
Sun Requirements
Requires 2-6 hours of direct sunlight daily
• Full Sun: 6+ hours of direct sunlight
• Partial Shade: 3-6 hours of direct sunlight
• Full Shade: Less than 3 hours of direct sunlight