The Dawes Arboretum

Common name: cutleaf toothwort

Family: Brassicaceae (mustard family)

Synonym: Cardamine laciniata, Dentaria concatenata, Dentaria laciniata

Distribution: e. North America

Habitat: Wooded bottoms and bluffs, rich woods, limestone cliffs and outcrops, rocky banks, mesic forests, moist areas with leaf litter, floodplain woods; 0-1000 m

Hardiness: USDA Zone 3

Life form: Herbaceous perennial

Comments: A common spring wildflower throughout Ohio, cutleaf toothwort often grows in rich woods and on slopes, up to 15" tall. It blooms from April to May, producing a terminal cluster of four-petaled, white flowers. The flowers sometimes have a tinge of pink and are slightly fragrant. The leaves are toothed, though the common name is more in reference to past use of the roots to treat toothaches. Bees and, less often, butterflies are the main pollinators of this plant.