Milk Maids (Cardamine californica)

An early spring wildflower that is easy to spot – four petals and bright white, with odd shaped leaves below.

January	April	July	October
White flowers

Field ID Tips

· Blooms January to April.

· 4 white petals.

· Small flowers, about ½”, in groups at the end of the stem.

· Leaf shape is odd, with a few serrations, and ovals cut out between them.

· Leaves at the base of the plant have a different shape.

Four white petals

Funny-shaped leaves

Links:

Calphotos

Wikipedia

Mountain Home to West Point Flowers

Milk maids, with their four white petals, are easy to spot, but they’re small, often dwarfed by the plants around them.

Milk maids among Douglas Iris leaves.