Cardamine pachyphylla Heenan

Perennial herb, single rosette or with short lateral branches. Leaves up to 98 mm long, simple or occasionally pinnatifid; lamina 4.0–45.0 × 2.5–23.0 mm, grey-green, coriaceous, glabrous or occasionally with 1–3 marginal hairs; petiole up to 43 mm long. Terminal pinna 4.0–45.0 × 2.5–23.0 mm, simple, broadly elliptic to broadly elliptic-obovate, sometimes elliptic-rhomboid; margin entire to shallowly sinuate, sometimes with 2 prominent teeth, hydathodes ± indistinct; apex obtuse to subacute, with a distinct hydathode; base cuneate. Lateral pinnae 1–4, 2.0–5.0 × 1.5–3.5 mm, broadly elliptic; apex obtuse; base truncate; sessile. Cauline leaves similar to rosette leaves but smaller, narrower, base attenuate. Inflorescence racemose, with lateral racemes, terminal flowers in a cyme-like cluster, each raceme 3–22-flowered; peduncle up to 300 mm long, 0.4–1.9 mm diam. at base, ascending to erect, glabrous. Pedicels 20.0–60.0 mm long, 0.4–0.7 mm diam., glabrous. Sepals 2.9–3.0 × 1.2–1.6 mm, elliptic-oblong, saccate, green to red-brown, glabrous, margin white and membranous, apex obtuse, base truncate. Petals 4.5–5.2 × 1.9–2.5 mm, white, limb obovate; apex obtuse; base attenuate, tapering to a c. 1.0 mm long claw. Stamens 6; median filaments 4, 3.0–3.4 mm long; lateral filaments 2, 2.5–2.6 mm long; anthers 0.3–0.5 mm long, cream to pale yellow, when dehiscent held at a similar height to or slightly below the stigma. Ovary 3.2–3.4 mm long, 0.4–0.6 mm diam., ± terete, green, glabrous; ovules 56–62; style c. 0.2 mm long, ± terete; stigma 0.5–0.6 mm diam. Siliques 13.0–30.0 × 1.2–1.5 mm, glabrous, style 0.6–1.0 mm long; valves green to yellow-green at maturity and when dehiscent; replum 0.4–0.5 mm wide. Seeds 1.0–1.5 mm long, 0.65–1.0 mm wide, 0.3–0.4 mm thick, oblong, orbicular-oblong to broadly oblong, henna; wing absent.

Cardamine pachyphylla is distinguished from C. bilobata by its leaves having a longer and wider terminal leaflet, a smaller flower with petals 4.5–5.2 mm long, and a silique with a shorter style.

Cardamine pachyphylla occurs on shaded bluffs and rock outcrops, typically in lower-elevation alpine sites.

Flowering November–March; Fruiting November–March.