Watercress
Nasturtium officinale W.T. Aiton
Images
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Morphology
- Stem
- Floating or creeping, up to 3 feet long, branching, glabrous; floating roots descend from nodes and take root upon reaching soil.
- Leaves
- Alternate, stalked, odd-pinnately compound; leaflets 3-11, ovate to nearly circular, .25 to 2.5 inches long, less than 1 inch wide, glabrous, fleshy; margins entire or shallowly toothed; tips blunt; terminal leaflet largest.
- Inflorescence
- Racemes, short, terminal, elongate in fruit.
- Flower
- 4-parted, less than .25 inch wide; sepals oblong-ascending; petals white, twice as long as sepals; stamens 6, 4 long, 2 short, with nectar secreting glands at bases.
- Fruit
- Pods, linear, .5 to 1.25 inch long, stalked, spreading or curving slightly upward; seeds in 2 rows, nearly round, flattened, brown.
Ecology
- Habitat
- Still or slowly flowing, shallow water of springs, spring-fed streams, ditches, and lakes.
- Distribution
- Throughout Kansas.
Additional Notes
Comments
Native Americans used watercress as a food source, eating it raw or cooked. It has a peppery flavor and sometimes is used in salads or as a garnish and potherb. The juice of watercress is said to have medicinal value in the treatment of stomachaches, rheumatism, and throat inflammation.
Synonyms
Alternative scientific names that have been used for this plant.
Scientific Name: Rorippa nasturtium-aquaticum
Full Citation: Rorippa nasturtium-aquaticum Hayek
Quick Facts
- Plant Type
- Wildflower
- Family
- Brassicaceae - Mustard Family
- Life Span
- Perennial
- Height
- Floating on the surface of water
- Origin
- Native
- Last Updated
- 2007-09-24
Color Groups
Flowering Period
Blooms: April, May, June, July, August, September, October