Gambel's watercress facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Gambel's watercress |
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| Conservation status | |
Scientific classification  |
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| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Rosids |
| Order: | Brassicales |
| Family: | Brassicaceae |
| Genus: | Nasturtium |
| Species: |
N. gambellii
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| Binomial name | |
| Nasturtium gambellii (S.Watson) O.E.Schulz
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| Synonyms | |
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Gambel's watercress (also called Gambel's yellowcress) is a very rare flowering plant. It belongs to the mustard family. This plant is found in only a few places in California. It also grows naturally in central Mexico and Guatemala. In the United States, there are fewer than 300 of these plants left. Because it is so rare, the U.S. government listed it as an endangered species in 1993. This means it is protected by law.
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What is Gambel's Watercress?
Gambel's watercress is a type of plant that lives for many years. It has branching stems that can grow up to 2 meters (about 6.5 feet) long. This plant often grows in water or very wet places. Its leaves can float on the water or spread out over damp ground.
How Does It Look?
The leaves of Gambel's watercress are about 10 centimeters (4 inches) long. Each leaf has several pairs of small leaflets. These leaflets have jagged edges and pointed tips.
The plant produces small flowers in a cluster called a raceme. Each flower has white petals shaped like tiny spoons. These petals are just under a centimeter long.
What About Its Fruit?
After flowering, the plant grows a long, thin fruit called a silique. This fruit can be up to 3 centimeters (about 1 inch) long. However, it is very narrow, less than 2 millimeters wide. Inside the fruit, there can be up to 20 tiny seeds. The fruit gets narrower between each seed.
How Does It Reproduce?
Gambel's watercress can make new plants in two ways. It can grow from its small seeds. It can also reproduce by sprouting from spreading shoots. This means new plants can grow directly from parts of the parent plant.
Where Does Gambel's Watercress Live?
This rare plant grows in fresh and brackish water habitats. These include places like lakesides and marshes.
In California, two of the places where it still grows are Oso Flaco Lake. This lake is part of the Guadalupe-Nipomo Dunes. It also lives on coastal land at Vandenberg Air Force Base.
 | James Van Der Zee |
 | Alma Thomas |
 | Ellis Wilson |
 | Margaret Taylor-Burroughs |
