Spreading yellowcress facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Spreading yellowcress |
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| Scientific classification | |
| Genus: |
Rorippa
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| Species: |
sinuata
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Rorippa sinuata is a type of flowering plant often called spreading yellowcress. It belongs to the Brassicaceae family, which also includes plants like cabbage and mustard. This plant grows naturally across much of western and central North America. You can find it in many wet places, like the edges of lakes and rivers, in meadows, and on muddy ground.
Spreading yellowcress is a perennial herb. This means it's a plant that lives for more than two years and does not have a woody stem. Its stems can spread out up to 40 or 50 centimeters long. The plant feels quite hairy, and these hairs are shaped like tiny sacs.
Its leaves can grow up to 8 centimeters long. They have edges that are deeply toothed, lobed, or even divided into smaller leaf parts.
What Spreading Yellowcress Looks Like
This plant has many tiny yellow flowers. They are only a few millimeters long. These flowers grow in a long cluster called a raceme at the top of the stem.
After the flowers bloom, the plant produces a fruit. This fruit is a curved pod called a silique. The silique can be different sizes and shapes, but it usually holds many very tiny seeds.
How People Use Spreading Yellowcress
The Zuni people, a Native American tribe, have traditionally used this plant. They would make a special liquid from the plant to wash their bodies. They also used smoke from the flowers to help with sore or inflamed eyes.
