General: Watercress (Nasturtium officinale) is a perennial forb that grows in the water and spreads across wet ground. The 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 (seedpod) 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. |