Vegetation Around Las Vegas, Watercress (Nasturtium officinale)

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Watercress (Nasturtium officinale)
Perennial Forbs Around Las Vegas, Vegetation Around Las Vegas

Watercress in an old stock pond

General: Watercress (Nasturtium officinale) is a perennial forb that grows in the water and spreads across wet ground. Lower are entire, while upper leaves are pinnately compound with 6-8 lateral leaflets plus one leaflet at the tip. Upright flowering stalks are produced with clusters of white, 4-petaled flowers at the top. Fruits (seedpods) are elongate, cylindrical, and not segmented.

Watercress is a fairly common component of wet vegetation communities at all elevations in the desert, ranging from the Lower Sonoran (Creosote-Bursage Flats) to the Hudsonian (Bristlecone Pine Forest) life zones. Native to Eurasia, Watercress is non-native and considered to be an invasive weed in some areas.

Around Las Vegas, look for Watercress along streams and around ponds throughout the region.

Family: Mustard (Brassicaceae). Water Cress. Also known by the scientific names Rorippa nasturtium-aquaticum, Nasturtium nasturtium-aquaticum, Sisymbrium nasturtium-aquaticum.

According to Wikipedia: Leaves, stems, and fruit can be eaten raw, but cultivated plants have the advantage of being free of liver flukes.


Springtime in a small creek	Lower leaves oval, entire
Lower leaves oval, entire	Lower leaves oval, entire
Upper leaves compound with 6-8 lateral leaflets	Upper leaves compound with 6-8 lateral leaflets
Upper leaves compound eventually with 6-8 lateral leaflets	Upper leaves compound eventually with 6-8 lateral leaflets
Upper leaves compound eventually with 6-8 lateral leaflets	More to come ...
Older leaves compound with 6-8 lateral leaflets and a terminal leaflet	Older leaves compound with 6-8 lateral leaflets and a terminal leaflet
Flowers clustered atop stems	Flower with 4 petals
Flowers white with four petals	Flowers white with four petals
Flowers and developing seedpods	Flowers and developing seedpods
Flowers and developing seedpods eventually stand above the leaves	Flowers and developing seedpods eventually stand above the leaves
Flowers and developing seedpod	Flowers and developing seedpod
Seedpods	Seedpods develop as more flowers are produced at the growing tip

Note: All distances, elevations, and other facts are approximate. Names generally follow the USDA database.
; Last updated 241203

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