Question: I am having trouble identifying this plant. I think it might be some type of Rock Cress but the stem …
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Question
I am having trouble identifying this plant. I think it might be some type of Rock Cress but the stem reminds me of a mustard. The flowers are small, about 1/2 in across. I found a number of clusters along the path of the Merrimack River in West Newbury, at the edge of forest.
Answer
Dear lharley, the image does not capture the leaves, so I can only make an educated guess based on the image of the flowers. Given it is a raceme with relatively large flowers (for the mustard family) and it early flowering time, it is likely Cardamine diphylla (two-leaved toothwort). This species produces a pair (usually) of leaves each with three broad leaflets. Best wishes.
