Toothwort

March 17, 2006. Toothwort, Dentaria laciniata, buds are nearly ready to bloom. I found lots of tootwort while walking through the forest on Friday. Of the hundred-plus plants, only one had started to bloom. Toothwort is a member of the mustard family, and is one of the few mustard species that lacks that strong "spicy" flavor and aroma. The flower, which I will post later, is white (or light pink), with four petals. The plant is about 4 or 5 inches high.
This plant gets its name for either one of two reasons. First, the leaves are toothed, hence toothwort. But also, as the flower petals grow past the sepals, and get ready to pop out of their buds, the white petals cling tightly together, forming an "incisor" shape--similar to somebody's tooth.