Cardamine ovata Bentham, Pl. Hartweg. 158. 1845, non Philippi, Anales Univ. Chile 81: 69. 1893. TYPE: Colombia, Bogota, Tena, Hartweg 881 (holotype, K!; isotype, G-DEL!).

Cardamine ibaguensis Triana & Planchon, Annal. Sci. Nat. Bot. ser. 4, 17: 60. 1862. TYPE: Colombia, Antioquia, Manizales, 2700 m, 1851-1857, J. Triana s.n. (lectotype, here designated, P!).

Cardamine ecuadorensis Hieronymus, Bot. Jahrb. Syst., Beibl. 20: 19. 1895. TYPE: Ecuador, Loja, Andes, 3000-3200 m, F. C. Lehmann 4826 (holotype, B!; isotype, K!).

Cardamine lehmannii Hieronymus, Bot. Jahrb. Syst., Beibl. 20: 19. 1895; C. ovata subsp. lehmannii (Hieronymus) O. E. Schulz, Bot. Jahrb. Syst. 32: 412. 1903. TYPE. Colombia, Cauca, Páramo de Guanacas, 2800-3200 m, F. C. Lehmann 4759 (holotype, B?; isotypes, F!, GH!, K!, S!).

Cardamine ovata prol. thamnophila O. E. Schulz, Bot. Jahrb. Syst. 32: 413. 1903. TYPE: Ecuador, “in Silvis Pallatañga Andium Quitensium, Spruce 5555 (holotype, W!; isotype, K!).

Cardamine ovata var. bracteata O. E. Schulz, Bot. Jahrb. Syst. 32: 413. 1903. TYPE: Ecuador. Pichincha, 4000 m, ?collector 45 (lectotype, here designated, B!).

Cardamine ovata var. eriocarpa O. E. Schulz, Bot. Jahrb. Syst. 32: 413. 1903. TYPE: Ecuador, Andes, 1857-1859, R. Spruce 5097 (lectotype, here designated, G!; isolectotypes, BM!, NY!, W!).

Cardamine albertii O. E. Schulz, Notizbl. Bot. Gart. Berlin-Dahlem 10: 341. 1928. TYPE: Colombia, Sandtander, edge of Páramo de las Vegas, 3300-3700 m, 20-21 Dec 1926, E. P. Killip & A. C. Smith 15595 (lectotype, here designated, B; isolectotypes, F!, GH!, K!, NY!).

Cardamine albertii var. minor O. E. Schulz, Notizbl. Bot. Gart. Berlin-Dahlem 10: 342. 1928. TYPE: Colombia, Sandtander, W slopes of Páramo Rico, 3300-3600 m, 15-19 Jan. 1927, E. P. Killip & A. C. Smith 17766 (holotype, B; isotype, GH!).

Herbs, perennial. Rhizomes often short, neither tuberous nor scaly. Stems (1.5-)2.5-8(-10) dm, erect or decumbent, simple or branched above, glabrous or sparsely to densely pubescent. Lower and middle cauline leaves 5-18(-20) cm, (3-)5(-9)-foliolate; petiole 2-9(-13) cm; lateral leaflets (0.7-)1.5-5(-6) ´ (0.4-)1-2(-3) cm, lanceolate, oblong, elliptic, ovate, or obovate, glabrous or sparsely to densely hirsute with trichomes 0.2-0.8 mm, base oblique or cuneate to subobtuse, margin ciliolate with trichomes to 0.2 mm, serrate or crenate, teeth often mucronate, apex acute, petiolule absent or to 1.5 cm; terminal leaflets same size or slightly larger than lateral ones, often or a longer a petiolule; uppermost leaves smaller, sometimes trifoliolate or simple and linear to linear-oblanceolate. Racemes bracteate throughout or basally, rarely only lowermost flower bracteate; rachis flexuous or straight; fruiting pedicels 1-2.8(-3.5) cm, divaricate, straight, stout, glabrous or pubescent. Sepals 2-4 ´ 1-1.5 mm, oblong; petals white or very rarely pale lavender, obovate to oblanceolate, 5-7 ´ 2-4 mm, not clawed; filaments 2.5-5 mm; anthers 0.7-1.4 mm, oblong; ovules 10-20 per ovary. Fruits (2.5-)3.5-5.5(-7) cm ´ 1.5-2.5(-3) mm; valves glabrous or sparsely pubescent; style (1-)2-4(-5.5) mm. Seeds 2-3 ´ 1-1.5 mm, brown, oblong.

Flowering: Jan-Dec.

Habitat: wet cliff, steep rocky slopes of crystalline schist, cloud forests, open sites, along creeks and trails in forests, woods, fields, streamsides.

Elevation: 500-3930 m.

Distribution: Bolivia (Cochabamba, La Paz, Larecaja, Santa Cruz), Colombia (Antioquia, Boyacá, Caldas, Cauca, Cundinamarca, Huila, Magdalena, Meta, Natioquia, Norte de Dantader, Ocaña, Santander, Tolima, Valle), Costa Rica, Ecuador (Azuay, Carchi, Chimborazo, Cotopaxi, Imbabura, Loja, Napo, Pichincha, Zamora-Chinchipe), Guatemala, Honduras, Panama, Peru (Amazonas, Cuzco, Puno) Venezuela (Anzoátegui, Lara, Merída, Sucre, Tachira, Trujillo).