flying far from the parent plant. This seed dispersal strategy is referred to as ballochory and is a type of rapid plant movement.Hairy bittercress is very similar to Cardamine flexuosa. Some differences are that C. hirsuta stems are hairless and the leaves do not clasp the stems, as in C.flexuosa. It has only 4 stamens, while C. flexuosa has 6 stamens, and the fruits of C. hirsuta overtop the flowers whereas in C. flexuosa the fruits do not overtop the younger flowers. The fruits grow in a thin pod arranged as a single row. Habitat and distribution It is commonly found in damp, recently disturbed soil, open ground, turf and wasteplaces and native to Europe as far east as the Caucasus, and to North Africa. These conditions are prevalent in nursery or garden centre plants, and hairy bittercress seeds may be introduced with those plants. Once established, it is difficult to eradicate. The tiny flowers are attractive to a few early butterflies, including (in the United States) spring azure (Celastrina ladon) and falcate orange-tip (Anthocharis midea). It is native to Eurasia but has been introduced in many countries across the world. Its range includes but is not limited to: Argentina, Australia, Canada, China, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Gabon, Great Britain, India, Japan, Laos, Madagascar, Mexico, Pakistan, Panama, Peru, Philippines, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Turkmenistan, United States, Venezuela, and Vietnam. The 1889 book 'The Useful Native Plants of Australia' records that it was also called "Lady's Smock" and that "This and other species afford excellent pot-herbs when luxuriant and flaccid. The present one is a common weed almost throughout the world." Etymology and naming Binomial etymology Cardamine is Dioscorides' name for cress. It is derived from Greek. Hirsuta means "hairy" or "hirsute". Common names Other common or country names include lamb's cress, land cress, hoary bitter cress, spring cress, flick weed, and shot weed (or lambscress, landcress, hoary bittercress, springcress, flickweed, and shotweed). Some of these common names may be shared with other plants in the family Brassicaceae and are therefore of limited usefulness since they may be shared. As Old English stune, the plant is cited as one of the herbs invoked in the pagan Anglo-Saxon Nine Herbs Charm, recorded in the 10th century. Uses The leaves are edible raw and other tender parts of the plant can be cooked. References External links http://biology.burke.washington.edu/herbarium/imagecollection.php?Genus=Cardamine&Species=hirsuta hirsuta Edible plants Palearctic flora