Taxon Report

Cardamine nuttallii Greene var. gemmata (Greene) Roll.

yellow-tubered toothwort

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Taxon Summary

Cardamine nuttallii var. gemmata, commonly known as yellow-tubered toothwort, is a perennial rhizomatous herb in the Brassicaceae that is found in California and elsewhere. It occurs within Lower montane coniferous forest, and North Coast coniferous forest, growing at elevations from 100 to 700 meters. Cardamine nuttallii var. gemmata is ranked 3.3, Plants About Which We Need More Information, A Review List; Not very threatened in California.

Classification


Scientific Name:	Cardamine nuttallii Greene var. gemmata (Greene) Roll.
Common Name:	yellow-tubered toothwort
Family:	Brassicaceae
Element Code:	PDBRA0K0R3
USDA Plants Symbol:	CANUG
Synonyms/Other Names:	Dentaria gemmata Cardamine gemmata Greene

Ecology and Life History


Lifeform:	perennial rhizomatous herb
Blooming Period: Apr-May(Jun)	Apr-May(Jun)
Elevation:	100-700 (330-2295)
General Habitats:	Lower montane coniferous forest, North Coast coniferous forest
Microhabitat:	Serpentine
Microhabitat Details:

Conservation Status


CA Rare Plant Rank:	3.3
Global Rank:	G5T3Q
State Rank:	S2
State List:	None
Fed List:	None
Other Status:
CRPR Changes:	changed from 1B.3 to 3.3 on 2012-04-10

Occurrence Data from the CNDDB


Total Occurrences:	17
Element Occurrence Ranks:
Excellent (A)	0
Good (B)	3
Fair (C)	1
Poor (D)	0
None (X)	0
Unknown (U)	13

Location


California Endemic: False
California Counties and Islands: Name (Code)
Del Norte (DNT)
Quads: Name (Quad Code)
Crescent City (4112472), Gasquet (4112378), High Divide (4112481), High Plateau Mtn. (4112388), Hiouchi (4112471), Hurdygurdy Butte (4112377), Shelly Creek Ridge (4112387), Smith River (4112482)

Threat List Data from the CNDDB


Threat List Total:	3
EOs with Threat Listed:	Total EOs	% of EOs
	3	18 %
Recreational use (non-ORV)	1	5%
Road/trail construction/maint.	1	5%
Vandalism/dumping/litter	1	5%

Notes



Previously on List 1B.3. Candidate for state listing in OR. USFWS uses the name C. gemmata.
Threats:
Possibly threatened by mining.
Taxonomy:
Main distinction between varieties of C. nuttallii treated in TJM (1993) is differences in rhizomal leaves; however, rhizomal leaf morphology has been found to be highly variable and generally not useful for recognizing varieties within the species. Needs field surveys and further study. A synonym of C. nuttallii in TJM 2.

Selected References

Proposed rank change from CRPR 1B.3 to 3.3

Pittonia 1:162 (1888)

Harvard Papers in Botany 4:43-48 (1993)

Cardamine nuttallii var. gemmata profile for potential Species of Conservation Concern evaluation (2018)

Citation California Native Plant Society, Rare Plant Program. 2025. Rare Plant Inventory (online edition, v9.5.1). Website https://www.rareplants.cnps.org [accessed 25 October 2025].