Purple Bittercress Plant Care
Cardamine douglasii Britton
Updated · Sources · How we source care data
Partial shade to full shade
At a glance
How do you care for Purple Bittercress?
Purple Bittercress grows best in partial shade to full shade.
What Is the Purple Bittercress?
Purple Bittercress (Cardamine douglasii) belongs to the Brassicaceae family within the Cardamine genus. Purple Bittercress is also known as Douglas's Bittercress.
Purple Bittercress displays a low-growing, spreading perennial growth habit, reaching up to tall with a spread of approximately . Purple Bittercress produces small, delicate white or pink flowers in clusters.
What Light Does the Purple Bittercress Need?
Purple Bittercress thrives in partial shade to full shade. Avoid placing Purple Bittercress in direct, harsh sunlight for extended periods, as this can scorch the foliage.
Light Requirement
Partial shade to full shade
What Soil Mix Works Best for a Purple Bittercress?
Moist, well-draining soil rich in organic matter. Good drainage is essential for Purple Bittercress to prevent waterlogging, which leads to root rot and fungal issues.
How Do You Repot a Purple Bittercress?
Divide and repot every 2-3 years in early spring. Choose a pot one size larger than the current container, and ensure it has drainage holes to allow excess water to escape.
How Do You Propagate a Purple Bittercress?
Purple Bittercress can be propagated through seeds, division. Similar propagation techniques also apply to alpine bittercress plant care, which shares the same genus.
Is the Purple Bittercress Toxic to Pets and Children?
Pet safety not verified
The ASPCA does not list Purple Bittercress, so we can't confirm whether it is safe for cats and dogs. Keep pets from chewing it as a precaution.
This is a general caution, not veterinary or medical advice. If your pet ate a plant, contact your vet or animal poison control.
See all plants toxic to cats and plants toxic to dogs.
What Pests and Diseases Affect the Purple Bittercress?
Purple Bittercress is susceptible to aphids, cabbage worms, flea beetles. Inspect the foliage regularly, especially along leaf undersides and stems. Treat infestations promptly with insecticidal soap or neem oil to prevent spread.
Yellow leaves, brown tips or drooping? See common plant problems and how to fix them.
Keep exploring plants
Purple Bittercress is one of many species covered in the complete plant care and identification guide, which groups plants by genus, attribute, and popularity.
It belongs to the Cardamine genus — compare its care with other Cardamine species on PlantoScan.
Cardamine is part of the Brassicaceae plant family — browse all Brassicaceae genera and species.
Purple Bittercress copes with lower light than most plants — browse the full list of low-light plants.
More Cardamine Species
Other Cardamine species in PlantoScan's care catalogue share similar watering, light, and soil preferences:
Sources
- Scientific name & taxonomy: Cardamine douglasii Britton, family Brassicaceae (first published in Trans. New York Acad. Sci. 9: 8 (1889)) — World Flora Online record, IPNI name record.
- Pet toxicity: Pet safety not verified: the ASPCA does not list Purple Bittercress, so we can't confirm whether it is safe for cats and dogs. Checked against the ASPCA plant list; any other toxicity note on this page comes from PlantoScan's plant database.
- Care values(watering, light, temperature, humidity, soil, fertilizing): PlantoScan's plant database, filtered by automatic plausibility checks — values that fail them are hidden. How we source and check plant data.
Spotted a mistake? Email info@upvision.media with the page link — we check and correct reported errors.
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