garden yellowrocket

Garden yellowrocket, also known as yellow rocket, or in the UK as winter cress, is an exotic, 8″ to 32″ tall, erect, biennial or short-lived perennial forb that rises from a stout taproot. In it’s first year it forms a rosette of basal leaves up to 1′ across. In the second year it produces one or more flowering stalks. This is one of the first flowers to bloom in the spring. It blooms a second time in late fall.

The stems are erect, angled, and usually unbranched below the inflorescence. They are usually hairless but are sometimes sparsely covered near the base with unbranched, nonglandular hairs.

The leaves are alternate, dark green, hairless, and shiny on the upper surface. Basal leaves are up to 6″ long and 2″ wide and are attached to the stem with a ¾″ to 3″ long leaf stalk. They are divided into 1 to 4 pairs of small lateral lobes and a large terminal lobe. The lateral lobes are oblong, two to four times longer than broad with nearly straight sides or egg-shaped and attached at the narrow end. The terminal lobe is considerably larger, egg-shaped or nearly circular. The margins are wavy or bluntly toothed.

Lower stem leaves resemble the basal leaves but are progressively smaller as they ascend the stem. A pair of ear-like basal lobes clasp the main stem.

Upper stem leaves are egg-shaped or nearly circular and may be lobed, toothed, or entire. The margins are strongly wavy or bluntly toothed. They attach to the main stem without a stalk and sometimes clasp the stem at the base. They are not covered with a whitish, waxy coating (glaucous).

The inflorescence is a terminal, branched, elongated, crowded cluster.

The flowers have four yellow petals, are ½″ wide, and are stalked.

The fruit is an ascending or spreading, ½″ to 1½″ long, narrow, curved pod that is roundish in cross-section. The fruits develop below the inflorescence.

8″ to 32″

Yellow

Early winter cress (Barbarea verna) has basal leaves with 4 to 7 pairs of lateral lobes. It is an eastern and west coast species and does not occur in Minnesota.

Northern winter cress (Barbarea orthoceras) is a native species. The flowers are ¼″ wide. The flower stalk is club-like or bat-like in overall shape.

Moist. Fields, pastures, roadsides, and other disturbed sites.

April to June, September

This and other mustards (family Brassicaceae) produce chemical compounds when cells are damaged that are toxic to most animals, fungi, and bacteria.

Yellow rocket contains glucobarbarin, a chemical that deters animals from eating it. It is toxic to horses but not to dogs and cats.

Young leaves can be picked in the early spring and eaten raw in salads or chopped and cooked like spinach. As the weather warms, older leaves become strongly bitter. They must be boiled in two changes in water to reduce the bitterness.

Sources

2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 22, 24, 28, 29, 30.

Native to Northern Africa, Asia and Europe. Introduced and naturalized in the United States.

Common

Four varieties have been described. The varieties define points along a continuum. This makes assigning a specimen to a variety a somewhat subjective matter. Flora of North America suggests that “it is better not to recognize any infraspecific taxa in North America.”

Plant

Plant

Inflorescence

Inflorescence

Flowers

Flowers

Basal leaves

Middle stem leaves

Upper stem leaves

Upper stem leaves

wilderness survival Winter cress identification
Kaptalis

Wild Food: Wintercress
Zombie Preparedness

Luciearl
5/12/2024

Location: Cass County

Crystal Boyd
6/2/2013

Location: Pine Bend Bluffs SNA