Flower profile

Purple cress

Cardamine douglassii

Native in the lower 48

Purple cress is a wildflower that USDA PLANTS lists as native 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 March–April.

22states

3of our state lists

7,181U.S. sightings*

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

On our lists for: Indiana, Kentucky, Ohio

Quick look

Cardamine douglassii, the limestone bittercress or purple cress, is a perennial forb that produces white to pink or purple flowers in early spring. It is native to Ontario, Canada, as well as the eastern and central United States.
From Wikipedia's article Cardamine douglassii, CC BY-SA 4.0.

It belongs to the Brassicaceae family. ^iNaturalist
USDA PLANTS describes it as an herb (forb) with a perennial life cycle. ^{USDA PLANTS}
USDA PLANTS lists it as native in the lower 48 states and records it in 22 states. ^{USDA PLANTS}
NatureServe lists it as native to Ohio, Indiana and Kentucky. ^NatureServe
In Ohio, most iNaturalist sightings of it in flower come in March–April. ^iNaturalist
In Indiana, most iNaturalist sightings of it in flower come in February–April. ^iNaturalist
USDA PLANTS lists its flower color as purple. ^{USDA PLANTS}
USDA PLANTS gives its bloom period as early spring. ^{USDA PLANTS}
USDA PLANTS lists a mature height of about 1 ft. ^{USDA PLANTS}
iNaturalist has 2,679 research-grade sightings of it in Ohio, ranking #63 among the 109 flowers on our Ohio list. ^iNaturalist
iNaturalist has 1,040 research-grade sightings of it in Indiana, ranking #76 among the 109 flowers on our Indiana list. ^iNaturalist
iNaturalist has 669 research-grade sightings of it in Kentucky, ranking #93 among the 110 flowers on our Kentucky list. ^iNaturalist

Purple cress gift ideas

Handmade purple cress gifts from independent makers.

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When does it bloom?

Flowering records by month across the U.S. (iNaturalist research-grade observations marked “Flowering”) (1,233 records)

Bloom time in each of our 3 states

State	Type	Peak bloom	Sightings*
Ohio	Native	March–April	2,679
Indiana	Native	February–April	1,040
Kentucky	Native	February–April	669

Conservation status

Federal (U.S. ESA): Not listed No U.S. Endangered Species Act listing in the USFWS ECOS database. ^{USFWS ECOS}
NatureServe global: G5 Secure worldwide. ^NatureServe
Ohio: Not listed Not on Ohio endangered and threatened plants (Ohio Adm. Code 1501:18-1-03, eff. Dec. 26, 2024). NatureServe: SNR, not yet ranked in Ohio. ^{OAC 1501:18-1-03}
Indiana: No list Indiana has no state law listing endangered or threatened plants (the DNR keeps a rare plant list, but it isn't regulatory), so we show NatureServe's Indiana ranks instead. NatureServe: S5, secure in Indiana.
Kentucky: Not listed Not on Kentucky endangered and threatened plant lists (400 KAR 3:040, eff. 2026). NatureServe: S5, secure in Kentucky. ^{400 KAR 3:040}
Rare elsewhere: Other states where NatureServe ranks it rare or missing: AL (S2), AR (S1), CT (S2), MA (S1), MN (S1), NC (S2), NJ (S2). (S1 critically imperiled, S2 imperiled, SH possibly extirpated, SX presumed extirpated.)

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 purple cress in 22 states plus Washington, D.C.

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recorded by USDA PLANTS on our state lists not recorded

See the full list of states

Alabama, Arkansas, Connecticut, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia, Wisconsin; District of Columbia.

Ohio counties with USDA records: Adams, Ashland, Ashtabula, Athens, Auglaize, Belmont, Brown, Butler, Carroll, Champaign, Clark, Clermont, Clinton, Columbiana, Coshocton, Crawford, Cuyahoga, Darke, Delaware, Erie, Fairfield, Franklin, Gallia, Geauga, Greene, Guernsey, Hamilton, Hancock, Hardin, Harrison, Highland, Hocking, Holmes, Huron, Jackson, Jefferson, Knox, Lake, Lawrence, Licking, Logan, Lorain, Lucas, Madison, Mahoning, Marion, Medina, Meigs, Miami, Monroe, Montgomery, Morgan, Morrow, Muskingum, Noble, Ottawa, Paulding, Perry, Pickaway, Pike, Portage, Preble, Putnam, Richland, Sandusky, Scioto, Seneca, Stark, Summit, Trumbull, Tuscarawas, Van Wert, Vinton, Warren, Washington, Wayne, Williams, Wood, Wyandot.

Indiana counties with USDA records: Allen, Blackford, Boone, Clark, Clinton, Daviess, Delaware, Elkhart, Fayette, Fountain, Fulton, Hamilton, Hancock, Harrison, Hendricks, Howard, Huntington, Jackson, Jay, Jefferson, Johnson, Knox, LaPorte, Lawrence, Madison, Marion, Monroe, Montgomery, Morgan, Newton, Noble, Ohio, Owen, Parke, Perry, Porter, Posey, Putnam, Randolph, St. Joseph, Sullivan, Tippecanoe, Vermillion, Vigo, Wayne, Wells.

Kentucky counties with USDA records: Allen, Anderson, Barren, Bath, Boone, Bourbon, Breckinridge, Bullitt, Caldwell, Campbell, Carroll, Carter, Casey, Clark, Crittenden, Elliott, Fayette, Fleming, Floyd, Franklin, Garrard, Hardin, Henry, Jefferson, Jessamine, Kenton, Larue, Lewis, Livingston, Logan, Madison, Marion, Mason, Meade, Menifee, Mercer, Metcalfe, Monroe, Nelson, Nicholas, Oldham, Owen, Powell, Robertson, Rowan, Trimble, Warren, Woodford.

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Cut-leaved toothwort

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Sources

USDA, NRCS. PLANTS Database, profile CADO.
iNaturalist, Cardamine douglassii: taxonomy, research-grade observation counts and “Flowering” annotations, retrieved October 17, 2026.
Wikipedia, Cardamine douglassii (lead quoted under CC BY-SA 4.0).
Ohio: Ohio endangered and threatened plants (Ohio Adm. Code 1501:18-1-03, eff. Dec. 26, 2024).
Ohio: Ohio invasive plant species (Ohio Adm. Code 901:5-30-01).
Indiana: Indiana prohibited invasive terrestrial plants (312 IAC 18-3-25).
Kentucky: Kentucky endangered and threatened plant lists (400 KAR 3:040, eff. 2026).
Kentucky: Kentucky noxious weeds and invasive plants on state rights-of-way (KRS 176.051; species list from the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet).
USFWS, ECOS species database (ESA listing check), October 17, 2026.
NatureServe Explorer, Cardamine douglassii (global and state ranks).
Edibility and toxicity: no source found (marked "not well documented").
Photo: Patricia Pennington via iNaturalist · CC BY 4.0 · resized.