American Wintercress (Barbarea orthoceras) Login         


        Description
  • Height 4 in. - 2 ft.
  • EW Bloom Mar - Jul
  • Yellow four-petaled flowers are small - about 1/4" across.
  • Fruits are narrow, up to 2" long, and stand away from the stem, curving upwards.
  • Common in moist areas.
  • CA native
  • AKA Winter Cress, Erectpod Wintercress, American Rocket
  • Mustard Family (Brassicaceae)



Look for compound leaves with a large final leaflet, and bright yellow 4-petaled flowers.



Flowers have the Mustard Family look - four separate petals that open to form a flat cross.



Winter Cress stands erect, with large leaves at its base. Branches end in tight clusters of yellow flowers.

   Photo Gallery (29 ) click any picture to enlarge
    

Winter Cress, also known as American Rocket, is one of a dozen or so Californian mustards that are called "rockets". They all have 4-petaled flowers, ...

The leaves at the base are the biggest. They're [[compound]], with pairs of [[leaflets]] along the stalk and a larger, roundish leaflet at the end. ...

Stems are stiff, erect, and branched. Branches end in clusters of small, yellow flowers. Although leaves are quite large at the base of the plant ...

Here's a closeup of a [[compound leaf]]. The lower [[leaflets]] are roughly paired, with wavy edges. The the terminal leaflet is bigger and rounder. ...

Leaves clasp the stem with structures called [i]auricles[/i], derived from the Latin word for ear. If you look closely, you may find scattered h ...