Cutleaf Toothwort

Scientific name: Cardamine concatenata, formerly Cardamine dentata
Common Name: Cutleaf toothwort
Plant Family: Brassicaceae (Mustard family) (1)
Etymology: Cardamine can be linked to Greek for “cress,” and concatenata is Latin for “linked together in a chain” which is in reference for the jointed appearance of the rhizomes. Cutleaf toothwort also refers to its toothed stems (4).

Parts Used: bark, wood, gum, sap
Season: spring, summer

Indigenous Uses

Roots were eaten raw; salted or boiled (2). They were also used medicinally by indigenous peoples (1). C. concatenata is noted to help treat conditions of the heart, stomach, headaches, sore throats as well as common colds (3). It was also used ceremonially.

Edible Parts

The roots are edible, and commonly consumed by the Iroquois raw or boiled (2). The leaves and rhizomes are also edible and noted to be spicy (1).

Gathering and Using

The stems will wilt quickly, so it is important to consume them promptly after harvesting, however if stored in a cold place they may last up to a week (5). Harvesting can be done easily with a pair of scissors or by hand, though removal of the root will prevent the plant from growing back. Both the above and below ground (rhizome) segments of the plant may be eaten. It does have a strong horseradish, or mustard taste. C. concatenata is fine to eat at all stages of growth, but the sentiment less is more can apply due to its pungency. Modern foragers have had luck adding this to salads and sauces or using it as a garnish.

Permaculture Functions and Considerations

The plant is edible, medicinal and also very good for pollinators. Cutleaf toothwort is also an early blooming plant, so it is a decent cover source for many forms of wildlife, as well as food source for early hatching pollinators. 

Habitat

C. concatenata can be found in zones 3-8, as far west as North Dakota and South as Texas, but most common in Northeast. It will typically be found growing best in moist soils that have shaded or dappled light, these can typically be found in forest settings with lots of decaying leaves.

How to Identify

With a basal leaf arrangement in whorls of three, the flowering stem is unbranched. The leaves are deeply lobed and have a very distinct main vein.  The flowers are typically red, pink or white and will hang downwards facing.

Wildlife Support

The bell-shaped leaves are frequented by butterflies and bee flies.

Additional Information

Cutleaf toothwort can be propagated via seed or by separating a piece of the rhizome (underground, horizontal root system). In areas where garlic mustard is prevalent, cutleaf toothwort is commonly displaced and outcompeted.

Sources

1. https://hort.extension.wisc.edu/articles/cutleaf-toothwort-cardamine-concatenata/
2. Moerman, Daniel E. Native American Food Plants: An Ethnobotanical Dictionary. Portland, Timber Press, 2010.
3. https://gobotany.nativeplanttrust.org/species/cardamine/concatenata/
4. https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/cardamine-concatenata/
5. https://foragerchef.com/toothwort/