Yes Satish ji To put it in simple words, lyrate: a pinnately lobed leaf, with more or less curved (wavy) lobes and a large terminal lobe.
Your diagnosis of the genus is very appropriate. The family Brassicaceae is usually classified on the basis of whether cotyledons (which form baby leaves when seed germinates) of seed are folded on either side (conduplicate) of radicle (portion which forms root), or lying flat with facing each other with radicle on back of one (incumbent) or radicle standing along the edges. However a more simple classification is generally based on fruit being siliqua (more than three times longer than broad) or silicula (less than three times as long as broad), whether fruit is totally rounded in cross section, compressed right angles to the septum or compressed parallel to the septum, whether plants are hairy or glabrous, and if hairy, hairs simple or branched, the size of fruit, flower colour, and number of seeds in fruit, the fruit being beaded or not. The family is complex but I find it interesting. -- Dr. Gurcharan Singh Retired Associate Professor SGTB Khalsa College, University of Delhi, Delhi-110007 Res: 932 Anand Kunj, Vikas Puri, New Delhi-110018. Phone: 011-25518297 Mob: 9810359089 http://www.gurcharanfamily.com/ http://people.du.ac.in/~singhg45/ On Fri, Nov 9, 2012 at 6:37 AM, Satish Phadke <[email protected]> wrote: > Gurcharan ji > Thanks for showing this wonderful plant. > As I have almost nothing to share during the week I am trying to > understand and take interest in some species new to me. > What I understood here is...... > Cardamine is a genus of Brassicaceae with leaves deeply lobed or compound. > The fruits are linear lanceolate, long narrow, strongly compressed, with > valves that coil up suddenly from the base ejecting the seeds. > Coming to the described species: I was wondering about the meaning of > lyrate leaves...? > *a simple leaf having curvature suggestive of a lyre* > I find that lyrate is shaped like a lyre and lyre means *(n) a harp used > by ancient Greeks for accompaniment i.e. a stringed instrument with a > particularly curved shape.* > > Dr Satish Phadke > > > On Thu, Nov 8, 2012 at 5:50 AM, Gurcharan Singh <[email protected]>wrote: > >> *Cardamine flexuosa* With., Bot. Arr. Brit. Pl. ed. 3:578, t. 3. 1796. >> Syn: *Cardamine* *sylvatica* Link; *Cardamine hirsuta* var. *sylvatica* >> (Link) >> Hook. f. & T. >> >> Common names: Common bittercress, wavy bittercress >> >> Small annual herb mostly branched from base, without a distinct basal >> rosette of leaves, often withered at flowering stage, lyrate with larger >> terminal lobe usually reniform or broadly ovate, 3-5 lobed, lateral lobes >> smaller; upper leaves smaller, not auriculate at base,; flowers white, in >> racemes on usually zigzag axis; stamens usually 6; siliqua linear 12-25 mm >> long, >> >> Common in moist shaded places, often along roadsides. Photographed >> from Kashmir and Manali. >> >> -- >> Dr. Gurcharan Singh >> Retired Associate Professor >> SGTB Khalsa College, University of Delhi, Delhi-110007 >> Res: 932 Anand Kunj, Vikas Puri, New Delhi-110018. >> Phone: 011-25518297 Mob: 9810359089 >> http://www.gurcharanfamily.com/ >> http://people.du.ac.in/~singhg45/ >> >> -- >> >> >> >> > > --
