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Bog yellowcress

Rorippa palustris (L.) Besser

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Bog yellowcress
Bog yellowcress
Bog yellowcress inflorescences
Bog yellowcress fruit
Bog yellowcress leaf

Morphology

Stem
Erect, simple or branched distally, usually glabrous, rarely pubescent proximally.
Leaves
Basal and cauline, alternate, simple. Basal leaves: petiole present; blade oblong to oblanceolate in outline, 1.6 to 8(-12) inches long, .4 to 2.4 inches wide, margins incised to deeply pinnately lobed surfaces glabrous or hirsute abaxially with simple hairs. Cauline leaves: petiole present or absent; blade oblanceolate to oblong or lanceolate, .8 to 4(-7) inches long, .2 to 1.2 inch wide; base auricled and clasping stem.
Inflorescence
Racemes, terminal.
Flower
Sepals 4, distinct; ovate to oblong, .05 to .16 inch; petals 4, yellow or greenish yellow, oblong to broadly spatulate, .06 to .12 inch, shorter than to as-long-as sepals; stamens 6; style 1; stigma 1.
Fruit
Fruiting pedicels ascending, spreading, or recurved, .08 to .24 inch. Siliques, sessile, spreading to ascending, ellipsoid to oblong, short-cylindric, or pear-shaped, .12 to .4 inch long, .06 to .14 inch wide; seeds yellowish brown to brown, heart-shaped, minutely papillose.

Ecology

Habitat
Muddy to sandy shores of rivers, streams, and ponds, marshes, ditches, wet depressions.
Distribution
Throughout Kansas

Additional Notes

Comments

Rorippa, a Saxon name, and palustris, marshy. Two subspecies have been reported in Kansas: subsp. hispida (Desv.) Jonsell has stems and leaves densely hirsute; subsp. palustris has stems and leaves glabrous or sparsely pubescent.

Quick Facts
Plant Type
Wildflower
Family
Brassicaceae - Mustard Family
Life Span
Annual
Height
4-40 inches
Origin
Native
Last Updated
2021-09-12
Color Groups
Yellow Wildflowers
Flowering Period
Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec

Blooms: May, June, July, August, September, October