Cut-leaved Toothwort, Cardamine concatenata (Michx.) [Dentaria laciniata], Native Minnesota Wildflower plant, Eloise Butler Wildflower Garden, Pepperroot

	Plants of the Eloise Butler Wildflower Garden
	Common Name	Scientific Name	Plant Family	Garden Location	Prime Season
	Cut-leaved Toothwort	Cardamine concatenata (Michx.) Small	Mustard (Brassicaceae)	Woodland	Spring
Other names and notes	(Pepperroot). The stem leaves (usually 2 or 3) are divided into 3 deeply lobed toothed leaflets such that they appear to be 5-parted leaflets. The small 4-parted flowers are white to pinkish, up to 3/4" long, and appear in a loose cluster (a raceme), each flower on a long stem, with the total height of the plant being 8" to 16". Located in the Woodland Garden in many places. "Toothwort" refers to the rootstalk which has teeth-like segments that resemble a string of beads. The species name concatenata, meaning "linking together", and refers to that root (a rhizome) appearance. Botanists have recently placed this plant into the genus Cardamine instead of the former Dentaria.


Buds of late April	Flowers of late April to Mid-May depending on the season.

Notes: Eloise Butler's records show that she obtained plants of this species on April 28, 1912 from a "Mrs. Commons' " farm in Minnetonka, MN. Martha Crone planted specimens in 1933 on May 15th. Native to the Minnesota woods of the SE, the Metro central and partially in the NE. The plant has an extensive range in the U.S., covering the entire eastern 2/3rds as far west as the Dakotas down to Texas. The other variety of Toothwort in the Garden is the two-leaved toothwort, Cardamine diphylla.

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References: Plant characteristics are generally from sources 15, 16, 30, 31, 33, W2 & W3. Distribution principally from W2 and also 31, 34 and W1. Planting history generally from 1, 4 & 4a. Other sources by specific reference. See Reference List for details.

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