Bloomipedia
Narrow-leaved bittercress (Cardamine impatiens)
Photo: Bryan Connolly via iNaturalist · CC BY 4.0 · resized

Flower profile

Narrow-leaved bittercress

Cardamine impatiens

Narrow-leaved bittercress (Cardamine impatiens) is a flowering plant in the Brassicaceae family, introduced in the lower 48 states, blooming mostly May–June across the U.S.

Introduced in the lower 48

Narrow-leaved bittercress is a wildflower that USDA PLANTS lists as introduced in the lower 48 states. It's on our flower lists for 3 states, and across the U.S. it's most often seen in bloom in May–June.

17states where USDA records it
3Bloomipedia state lists include it
8,516U.S. sightings*

*iNaturalist research-grade observations, as of October 17, 2026.

On our lists for: Connecticut, New Jersey, Pennsylvania

🚫
Regulated invasive plant in Connecticut. It's on that state' official invasive plant list (Connecticut: Prohibited invasive plant (some listings take effect on later dates; see the statute)). Please don't plant or share it there. CGS § 22a-381d

Quick look

Cardamine impatiens, the narrowleaf bittercress or narrow-leaved bitter-cress, is a plant species in the genus Cardamine of the family Brassicaceae. It is a slender, biennial herb, that produces sterile leaves in the first year, one to several flowering stems during the next. Its leaves are pinnate with several pairs of lanceolate, dentate leaflets and a terminal, slightly longer leaflet.

  • It belongs to the Brassicaceae family. iNaturalist
  • USDA PLANTS describes it as an herb (forb) with a annual, biennial life cycle. USDA PLANTS
  • USDA PLANTS lists it as introduced in the lower 48 states and records it in 17 states. USDA PLANTS
  • NatureServe lists it as not native to Pennsylvania and Connecticut. NatureServe
  • In Pennsylvania, most iNaturalist sightings of it in flower come in May. iNaturalist
  • In New Jersey, most iNaturalist sightings of it in flower come in May. iNaturalist
  • iNaturalist has 2,973 research-grade sightings of it in Pennsylvania, ranking #68 among the 190 flowers on our Pennsylvania list. iNaturalist
  • iNaturalist has 1,081 research-grade sightings of it in New Jersey, ranking #86 among the 186 flowers on our New Jersey list. iNaturalist
  • iNaturalist has 813 research-grade sightings of it in Connecticut, ranking #62 among the 179 flowers on our Connecticut list. iNaturalist

When does it bloom?

Flowering records by month across the U.S. (iNaturalist research-grade observations marked “Flowering”) (992 records)
Bloom time in the 3 states whose Bloomipedia list includes it
StateTypePeak bloomSightings*
PennsylvaniaIntroducedMay2,973
New Jersey–May1,081
ConnecticutIntroducedMay813

Conservation status

Federal (U.S. ESA)
Not listed No U.S. Endangered Species Act listing in the USFWS ECOS database. USFWS ECOS
NatureServe global
GNR Not yet ranked worldwide. NatureServe
Pennsylvania
Not listed Not on Pennsylvania classified native plants (17 Pa. Code Ch. 45, Subchapter B, as amended 2023). NatureServe: SNA, not applicable (usually because it isn't native there) in Pennsylvania. 17 Pa. Code Ch. 45
New Jersey
Not listed Not on New Jersey Endangered Plant Species List (N.J.A.C. 7:5C-5.1). NatureServe has no New Jersey rank for it. N.J.A.C. 7:5C-5.1
Connecticut
Not listed Not on Connecticut Endangered, Threatened and Special Concern Plants (RCSA 26-306; 2015 list). NatureServe: SNA, not applicable (usually because it isn't native there) in Connecticut. CT E/T/SC list
Rare elsewhere
No other U.S. state ranks it S1, S2, SH or SX.

Checked October 17, 2026. Rankings and lists can change, so follow the links for the latest.

Can you eat it?

For peopleNot well documented

None of the sources we checked (NC State Extension (no page for this plant), USDA PLANTS) say whether it's edible or poisonous for people.

For petsNot well documented

It isn't on the ASPCA plant list.

🌿 Never eat a wild plant unless you're certain of its ID; this isn't medical advice. Worried about a person? Call Poison Control at 1-800-222-1222. Worried about a pet? Call your vet.

Where does it grow?

USDA PLANTS records narrow-leaved bittercress in 17 states.

recorded by USDA PLANTS on our state lists not recorded

See the full list of states

Connecticut, Delaware, Indiana, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia.

Pennsylvania counties with USDA records: Centre, Chester, Cumberland, Dauphin, Forest, Montgomery, Perry, Philadelphia, Venango, Warren, York.

New Jersey counties with USDA records: Essex, Hunterdon, Mercer, Monmouth, Morris, Passaic, Somerset, Sussex, Union, Warren.

Names, range and relatives

Native status by region (USDA PLANTS): Canada: Introduced; Lower 48 states: Introduced.

County records: USDA PLANTS lists it in 49 counties across 12 states; the most are in Pennsylvania (11), New Jersey (10), West Virginia (7).

Other Cardamine on Bloomipedia (5): Cut-leaved toothwort, Milkmaids, Two-leaved toothwort, Purple cress, Nuttall's toothwort.

More from the Brassicaceae family (24 on Bloomipedia; most observed first): Garlic mustard, Dame's rocket, Wild radish, Annual honesty, Western wallflower, Hoary alyssum, European searocket, Bitter wintercress.

More Pennsylvania flowers

Garlic mustard (Alliaria petiolata)

Garlic mustard

Alliaria petiolata

Introduced

🌼 Blooms in PA: April–May
Dame's rocket (Hesperis matronalis)

Dame's rocket

Hesperis matronalis

Introduced

🌼 Blooms in PA: May–June
Cut-leaved toothwort (Cardamine concatenata)

Cut-leaved toothwort

Cardamine concatenata

Native

🌼 Blooms in PA: March–April

Sources