''Cardamine diphylla'' (broadleaf toothwort, crinkle root, crinkle-root, crinkleroot, pepper root, twin-leaved toothwort, twoleaf toothwort, toothwort) is a

flowering plant Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (). The term angiosperm is derived from the Ancient Greek, Greek words (; 'container, vessel') and (; 'seed'), meaning that the seeds are enclosed with ...

in the family

Brassicaceae Brassicaceae () or (the older but equally valid) Cruciferae () is a medium-sized and economically important Family (biology), family of flowering plants commonly known as the mustards, the crucifers, or the cabbage family. Most are herbaceous pla ...

. It is a spring flowering woodland plant that is native to eastern

North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere, Northern and Western Hemisphere, Western hemispheres. North America is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South Ameri ...

Description

A member of the mustard family, it is typified by a four petal flower which blooms in a cluster on a single stalk above a single pair of toothed stem leaves each divided into three broad leaflets. After flowering, narrow seedpods appear just below the flower cluster. It grows approximately 30 cm (12 in) tall.

Taxonomy

''Cardamine diphylla'' was first described as ''Dentaria diphylla'' by the French botanist

André Michaux André Michaux (' → ahn- mee-; sometimes Anglicisation, anglicised as Andrew Michaud; 8 March 174611 October 1802) was a French botanist and explorer. He is most noted for his study of North American flora. In addition Michaux collected specime ...

in 1803. The American botanist Alphonso Wood placed ''Dentaria diphylla'' in genus ''Cardamine'' in 1870. The name ''Cardamine diphylla'' is widely used today. ''Cardamine diphylla'' is a member of the ''Cardamine concatenata'' alliance, a

monophyletic In biological cladistics for the classification of organisms, monophyly is the condition of a taxonomic grouping being a clade – that is, a grouping of organisms which meets these criteria: # the grouping contains its own most recent co ...

group of eastern North American species that includes '' Cardamine angustata'', '' Cardamine concatenata'', ''Cardamine diphylla'', '' Cardamine dissecta'', '' Cardamine incisa'', and '' Cardamine maxima''. All members of the alliance were previously placed in genus ''Dentaria'' , which is now considered to be a synonym for ''Cardamine''

Distribution and habitat

''Cardamine diphylla'' is native to eastern North America. Its wide range extends north to Québec and Nova Scotia, south to Georgia and Alabama, and west to Wisconsin. It is known to occur in the following provinces and states: * ''Canada'': New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Ontario, Québec * ''United States'': Alabama, Arkansas, Connecticut, Georgia, Indiana, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia, Wisconsin Its distribution is centered in the

Great Lakes region The Great Lakes region of Northern America is a binational Canadian– American region centered on the Great Lakes that includes the U.S. states of Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin and the Ca ...

of North America. It is found in moist woodlands usually in edge habitats and blooms from April to June.

Ecology

The West Virginia white butterfly (''Pieris virginiensis'') lays its eggs on this plant as well as ''C. laciniata''. The larvae also feed on this plant. As with '' Pieris oleracea'', ''Pieris virginiensis'' mistakes garlic mustard for its host plants, making eradication of it important for their continued survival. Garlic mustard also competes with the plants for space and nutrients.

Conservation

The global conservation status of ''Cardamine diphylla'' is secure (G5).

Uses

Medicinal

The ground root is mixed with

vinegar Vinegar () is an aqueous solution of diluted acetic acid and trace compounds that may include flavorings. Vinegar typically contains from 5% to 18% acetic acid by volume. Usually, the acetic acid is produced by a double fermentation, converting ...

by the

Algonquin people The Algonquin people are an Indigenous people who now live in Eastern Canada and parts of the United States. They speak the Algonquin language, which is part of the Algonquian language family. Culturally and linguistically, they are closely ...

of Quebec and used as a relish. They also give an

infusion Infusion is the process of extracting chemical compounds or flavors from plant material in a solvent such as water, oil or alcohol, by allowing the material to remain suspended in the solvent over time (a process often called steeping). An inf ...

to children to treat fevers, and use an infusion of the plant and

sweet flag ''Acorus calamus'' (also called sweet flag, sway or muskrat root, among many other common names) is a species of flowering plant with psychoactive chemicals. It is a tall wetland monocot of the family Acoraceae, in the genus ''Acorus.'' Alth ...

root to treat heart disease. The

Cherokee The Cherokee (; , or ) people are one of the Indigenous peoples of the Southeastern Woodlands of the United States. Prior to the 18th century, they were concentrated in their homelands, in towns along river valleys of what is now southwestern ...

use a

poultice A poultice or cataplasm, also called a fomentation, is a soft moist mass, often heated and medicated, that is applied to the skin to reduce inflammation, soothe pain, promote healing, or otherwise treat wounds or ailments. Soft materials like cer ...

of the root for headaches, chew the root for colds and gargle an infusion for sore throats. The

Lenape The Lenape (, , ; ), also called the Lenni Lenape and Delaware people, are an Indigenous peoples of the Northeastern Woodlands, Indigenous people of the Northeastern Woodlands, who live in the United States and Canada. The Lenape's historica ...

use the roots as a stomach medicine, and use an infusion of the roots combined with other plants as a treatment for scrofula and

venereal disease A sexually transmitted infection (STI), also referred to as a sexually transmitted disease (STD) and the older term venereal disease (VD), is an infection that is spread by sexual activity, especially vaginal intercourse, anal sex, or ...

. The

Delaware Nation The Delaware Nation (), based in Anadarko, OklahomaDe ...

of Oklahoma use a compound containing the root as a stomach remedy, for scrofula, and for venereal disease. The

Iroquois The Iroquois ( ), also known as the Five Nations, and later as the Six Nations from 1722 onwards; alternatively referred to by the Endonym and exonym, endonym Haudenosaunee ( ; ) are an Iroquoian languages, Iroquoian-speaking Confederation#Ind ...

take an infusion of the whole plant to strengthen the breasts. They also chew the raw root for stomach gas, apply a poultice of roots to swellings, take a cold infusion of the plant for fever and for "summer complaint, drink a cold infusion of the roots for "when love is too strong", and use an infusion of the roots when "heart jumps and the head goes wrong." They also use a compound for chest pains. They also take an infusion of the plant at the beginning of tuberculosis. The Malecite use an infusion of the roots as a tonic, and chew green or dried roots for hoarseness. The Micmac use the root as a

sedative A sedative or tranquilliser is a substance that induces sedation by reducing irritability or Psychomotor agitation, excitement. They are central nervous system (CNS) Depressant, depressants and interact with brain activity, causing its decelera ...

, to clear the throat and for hoarseness, and use the root as a tonic.

Culinary

The

Abenaki The Abenaki ( Abenaki: ''Wαpánahki'') are Indigenous people of the Northeastern Woodlands of Canada and the United States. They are an Algonquian-speaking people and part of the Wabanaki Confederacy. The Eastern Abenaki language was pred ...

use it as a condiment. The Cherokee parboil and rinse the stems and leaves, add hot grease, salt & water & boiled them until they are soft as potherbs. They also use the leaves in salads, and smoke the plant. The

eat the roots raw with salt or boiled. The

Ojibwa The Ojibwe (; syll.: ᐅᒋᐺ; plural: ''Ojibweg'' ᐅᒋᐺᒃ) are an Anishinaabe people whose homeland (''Ojibwewaki'' ᐅᒋᐺᐘᑭ) covers much of the Great Lakes region and the northern plains, extending into the subarctic and thro ...

mix the roots with salt, vinegar, or sugar and use them as a condiment.Arnason, Thor, Richard J. Hebda and Timothy Johns 1981 Use of Plants for Food and Medicine by Native Peoples of Eastern Canada. Canadian Journal of Botany 59(11):2189-2325 (p. 2207)

References

Bibliography

* * * * *

External links

USDA Plants Profile: ''Cardamine diphylla''Evergreen NPDB, Toothwort
* * {{Taxonbar, from=Q2938024 diphylla Ephemeral plants Flora of West Virginia Flora of the Great Lakes region (North America) Flora of the Eastern United States Butterfly food plants Plants used in Native American cuisine Plants used in traditional Native American medicine Flora of Alabama Flora of Connecticut Flora without expected TNC conservation status Plants described in 1803 Taxa named by Alphonso Wood