Flower profile
Narrow-leaved bittercress
Cardamine impatiens
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.
*iNaturalist research-grade observations, as of October 17, 2026.
On our lists for: Connecticut, New Jersey, Pennsylvania
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–June. iNaturalist
- In New Jersey, most iNaturalist sightings of it in flower come in May–June. iNaturalist
- iNaturalist has 2,973 research-grade sightings of it in Pennsylvania, ranking #66 among the 111 flowers on our Pennsylvania list. iNaturalist
- iNaturalist has 1,081 research-grade sightings of it in New Jersey, ranking #83 among the 110 flowers on our New Jersey list. iNaturalist
- iNaturalist has 813 research-grade sightings of it in Connecticut, ranking #60 among the 111 flowers on our Connecticut list. iNaturalist
State flower gift ideas
This one is a regulated invasive plant, so here are state flower gifts instead.
🌱 Sample spot. Handmade gift picks from independent shops will appear here once our shop partnership is approved. These cards are placeholders, not real products.
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State flower print
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Birth-flower necklace
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Wildflower seed favors
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Botanical tea towel
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Pressed-flower frame
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Flower-garden mug
When does it bloom?
Bloom time in each of our 3 states
| State | Type | Peak bloom | Sightings* |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pennsylvania | Introduced | May–June | 2,973 |
| New Jersey | – | May–June | 1,081 |
| Connecticut | Introduced | May–June | 813 |
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?
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.
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.
More Pennsylvania flowers
Sources
- USDA, NRCS. PLANTS Database, profile CAIM.
- iNaturalist, Cardamine impatiens: taxonomy, research-grade observation counts and “Flowering” annotations, retrieved October 17, 2026.
- Wikipedia, Cardamine impatiens (lead quoted under CC BY-SA 4.0).
- Pennsylvania: Pennsylvania classified native plants (17 Pa. Code Ch. 45, Subchapter B, as amended 2023).
- Pennsylvania: Pennsylvania Noxious Weed List (3 Pa.C.S. § 1519, PA Dept. of Agriculture) (PDA's page spells garlic mustard “Allaria petiolata”; we match it as Alliaria petiolata).
- New Jersey: New Jersey Endangered Plant Species List (N.J.A.C. 7:5C-5.1).
- New Jersey: New Jersey prohibited invasive plant species (Invasive Species Management Act; propagation banned from Jan 1, 2027, sale from Jan 1, 2030).
- Connecticut: Connecticut Endangered, Threatened and Special Concern Plants (RCSA 26-306; 2015 list).
- Connecticut: Connecticut prohibited invasive plants (Conn. Gen. Stat. § 22a-381d).
- USFWS, ECOS species database (ESA listing check), October 17, 2026.
- NatureServe Explorer, Cardamine impatiens (global and state ranks).
- Edibility and toxicity: no source found (marked "not well documented").
- Photo: Bryan Connolly via iNaturalist · CC BY 4.0 · resized.