Rorippa sinuata
USDA, NRCS. 2018. The PLANTS Database (http://plants.usda.gov, 28 March 2018). National Plant Data Team, Greensboro, NC 27401-4901 USA.
Illustration: USDA-NRCS PLANTS Database / Britton, N.L., and A. Brown. 1913. An illustrated flora of the northern United States, Canada and the British Possessions. 3 vols. Charles Scribner’s Sons, New York. Vol. 2: 160.
What is Spreading Yellowcress?
Physical Characteristics
Leaves:
- Elongated
- Sword or oval shaped
Flowers:
- Petals oval shaped
- Petals longer than the sepals
- Petals 0.24-0.39 inches long
Fruit:
- Dry
- Curving upward
- 0.31-0.55 inches long
- About 0.08 inches wide
Seeds:
- Angled
- Plump
- 0.02-0.08 inches long
Stem:
- Creeping rhizomes
- 0.5-1.3 feet tall
- Fleshy
- Branching
Where Does it Grow?
Spreading yellowcress can be found in moist areas and along the banks of water bodies.
Pros and Cons of Spreading Yellowcress
Submerged portions of all aquatic plants provide habitats for many micro and macro invertebrates. These invertebrates in turn are used as food by fish and other wildlife species (e.g. amphibians, reptiles, ducks, etc.). After aquatic plants die, their decomposition by bacteria and fungi provides food (called “detritus”) for many aquatic invertebrates.