Rorippa palustris (L.) Besser - Common Yellow-cress


 

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Rorippa palustris - (image 1 of 5)

 

Taxonomy

Family: Brassicaceae

Habitat

Fresh or brackish marshes, shores, streams, ditches.

Associates

 

 Distribution

Throughout, although the variety shown here restricted mainly to the Atlantic states west to the Great Lakes.

Morphology

Erect taprooted annual or biennial to 1 m, taller plants often branches; leaves lanceolate to oblong-obovate, the lower ones pinnatifid; middle cauline leaves winged toward the base and auriculate; flowers yellow, petals 1.5-2.5 mm, about equaling the sepals; mature pedicels 3-7 mm; fruits 2.5-9 mm, subglobose to about twice as long as the pedicels;

Notes

Flowers late June to September

Wetland indicator: OBL

Three varieties occur in the Northeastern U.S. The plants shown here are var. palustris, which has glabrous leaves that are mostly pinnatifid and short-cylindric fruits 4-9 mm long not restricted near the middle.

References

Gleason, Henry A. and A. Cronquist. 1991. Manual of Vascular Plants of Northeastern United States and Adjacent Canada. Second Ed.

The New York Botanical Garden. Bronx, NY

 


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 Michael Hough © 2014