| Author | L. | |
| Distribution | Scattered statewide, possibly occurring in nearly all counties, but easily overlooked and certainly is under-collected. Few records for the southern Coastal Plain.
This is a widespread Eastern and Central species, ranging from Canada south to northern FL and central TX. | |
| Abundance | Infrequent to locally fairly common over most of the state, but rare in the southern Coastal Plain, including the Sandhills region. | |
| Habitat | This species has somewhat varied habitats, in different parts of the state. It prefer dry soils with relatively little competition, often in circumneutral conditions, but it also is found in slightly damp sandy soils. It grows most frequently around the margins of rock outcrops and flatrocks, in glades and barrens, in other somewhat rocky but open woods, and it also can be found in fields and other mostly sunny to partly sunny places. | |
| Phenology | Blooms from March to May, and fruits soon after flowering. | |
| Identification | This is a rather small or slender bittercress, easily overlooked owing to tiny flowers and rather small leaves. It may have a few branches at the base or be unbranched, erect but only to about 8 inches tall. It has small basal and stem leaves that tend be be about the same size and shape. Each is barely 1-1.5 inches long, pinnately divided into about 4 pairs of narrow leaflets and a narrow terminal one, all similar in shape and size, the key being the terminal lobes being narrow and not rounded in shape. The flower cluster at the tops of the branches contains a handful of very small white flowers, each with 4 petals but barely 1/6-inch across. Both the fairly common native C. pensylvanica and the non-native and abundant C. hirsuta have similar leaves with narrow lateral leaflets, but they have rounded terminal ones that are clearly larger and wider than the quite narrow lateral ones. Also, C. hirsuta has quite small stem leaves that make the plant look like it has mostly basal leaves; it often grows in lawns, roadsides, and other disturbed places. Because C. parviflora can occur in so many types of habitats, someone looking for it has little help; the best places would be around margins of flatrocks and other rock outcrops. | |
| Taxonomic Comments | There are several varieties present, though the only one in NC is var. arenicola. Weakley (2018) says it "may warrant specific status" from the nominate variety.
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| Other Common Name(s) | Small-flower Bittercress | |
| State Rank | S5 | |
| Global Rank | G5 | |
| State Status | | |
| US Status | | |
| USACE-agcp | FACU link |
| USACE-emp | FACU link |
