Cardamine parvula Heenan

Perennial herb, single rosette or with multiple rosettes on short lateral branches, stems sometime rhizomatous. Leaves up to 60 mm long, pinnatisect, glabrous; lamina 2.5–15.0 × 4.5–9.0 mm, green, coriaceous; petiole up to 24 mm long. Terminal pinna 1.5–2.5 × 1.0–2.5 mm, simple, broadly orbicular to orbicular-rhomboid; margin entire, hydathodes inconspicuous; apex obtuse, hydathode inconspicuous; base truncate to obtuse. Lateral pinnae 4–8, 1.0–3.0 × 1.0–3.5, broadly orbicular, orbicular-rhomboid to elliptic-orbicular; margin entire, hydathodes inconspicuous; apex obtuse, hydathodes inconspicuous; base truncate to obtuse; petiolule 0.3–7.0 mm long. Cauline leaves similar to rosette leaves but often smaller, narrower, with fewer lateral pinnae, pinnae bases attenuate to cuneate; terminal pinna up to 2.9 × 3.0 mm, lateral pinnae up to 2.8 × 2.7 mm. Inflorescence cymose, sometimes with lateral cymes, each cyme 1–7-flowered; peduncle up to 60 mm long, 0.8–1.4 mm diam. at base, spreading to ascending, glabrous. Pedicels 3.0–7.0 mm long, 0.3–0.5 mm diam., glabrous. Sepals 1.8–2.3 × 0.6–1.0 mm, elliptic-oblong, saccate, red-brown, glabrous, margin white and membranous, apex obtuse, base truncate. Petals 2.7–3.2 × 1.1–1.5 mm, white, limb broadly obovate; apex obtuse; base attenuate, tapering to a c. 1.0 mm long claw. Stamens 6; median filaments 4, 1.3–2.6 mm long; lateral filaments 2, 1.1–1.8 mm long; anthers 0.4–0.6 mm long, cream to pale yellow, when dehiscent held at a similar height to or slightly below the stigma. Ovary 1.5–3.0 mm long, 0.4–0.5 mm diam., ± terete, green, glabrous; ovules 28–32; style 0.2–0.4 mm long, ± terete; stigma 0.2–0.3 mm diam. Siliques 13.0–25.0 × 1.0–1.5 mm, glabrous, style 0.9–1.5 mm long; valves pink-green at maturity and when dehiscent; replum 0.5–0.6 mm wide. Seeds 1.0–1.3 mm long, 0.9–1.0 mm wide, 0.3–0.4 mm thick, broadly oblong to orbicular-oblong, henna; wing absent.

Cardamine parvula is distinguished from C. glara by its small and compact growth habit, smaller leaves with more leaflets, terminal leaflet a similar size to the largest lateral leaflets, smaller flowers, and shorter siliques.

Cardamine parvula occurs on alpine scree and may be restricted to fine-grained argillite scree, but field work is required to confirm this.

Flowering December–February; Fruiting December–April.