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Watercress (Nasturtium officinale)
Perennial Forbs Around Las Vegas, Vegetation Around Las Vegas
Watercress (Nasturtium officinale)
Watercress in an old stock pond

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.

Watercress (Nasturtium officinale) Watercress (Nasturtium officinale)
Watercress (Nasturtium officinale)
Springtime in a small creek
Watercress (Nasturtium officinale)
Young leaves oval, entire
Watercress (Nasturtium officinale)
Older leaves compound with 6-8 lateral leaflets
Watercress (Nasturtium officinale)
Older leaves compound with 6-8 lateral leaflets
Watercress (Nasturtium officinale)
Older leaves compound with 6-8 lateral leaflets and a terminal leaflet
Watercress (Nasturtium officinale)
Older leaves compound with 6-8 lateral leaflets and a terminal leaflet
Watercress (Nasturtium officinale)
Flowers white with four petals
Watercress (Nasturtium officinale)
Flower with 4 petals
Watercress (Nasturtium officinale)
Flowers and developing seedpods
Watercress (Nasturtium officinale)
Flowers and developing seedpods
Watercress (Nasturtium officinale)
Flowers and developing seedpods eventually stand above the leaves
Watercress (Nasturtium officinale)
Flowers and developing seedpods eventually stand above the leaves
Watercress (Nasturtium officinale)
Flowers and developing seedpod
Watercress (Nasturtium officinale)
Flowers and developing seedpod
Watercress (Nasturtium officinale)
Seedpods
Watercress (Nasturtium officinale)
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.
copyright; Last updated 240709

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