Watercress

Watercress

Nasturtium officinale W. T. Aiton

Brassicaceae (Mustard Family)

▲ ▼ mature, flowering plants

▲ young plants

Watercress:: (not in Weeds of the Great Plains; not in Weeds of the Northeast)

• a rooted floating to rooting emergent to sometimes floating creeping perennial from Europe
• leaves are dark-green, pinnately lobed
• flowers are tiny, in small terminal racemes
• prefers cool, well-aerated, slow-moving water with silty bottoms, but can spread fairly rapidly
• leaves are edible as a salad green or garnish

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