Rorippa palustris (L.) Besser
marsh yellow cress
Brassicaceae (Mustard family)
Introduction to Vascular Plants
marsh yellow cress
Brassicaceae (Mustard family)
Introduction to Vascular Plants
SUBTAXA PRESENT IN BC
Species Information
General:
Annual, biennial, or short-lived perennial herb from a slender taproot; stems erect, 15-100 cm tall, simple to much branched from base, glabrous to stiff-hairy.
Leaves:
Basal and lower stem leaves oblong to oblanceolate, (4) 6-20 cm long, 0.5-4 cm wide, short-stalked to unstalked, irregularly saw-toothed, incised, deeply cleft, repand, or variously pinnately divided, with slightly clasping, ear-like lobes at the bases, sharp- or long-pointed at the tips; glabrous or stiff-hairy.
Flowers:
Inflorescence of spreading-ascending stalks, 3-14 mm long, glabrous to sparsely hairy; petals light yellow, 1-3.5 mm long, oblong to broadly spoon-shaped; sepals often yellowish or purplish, 1-2 mm long, glabrous.
Fruits:
Siliques, spreading to ascending, straight to somewhat upcurved, 3-14 mm long, 2-3 mm wide, egg-shaped to cylindric or clavate, 1- to 4-carpelled; beaks 0.2-1 mm long, straight, abruptly attached to apex; seeds brown to reddish-brown, mostly 0.4-0.6 mm long, minutely honeycombed and pimpled, 20-80.
Notes:
At least six poorly defined varieties have been attributed to the BC flora, but are not treated here.
Illustration
If more than one illustration is available for a species (e.g., separate illustrations were provided for two subspecies) then links to the separate images will be provided below. Note that individual subspecies or varietal illustrations are not always available.
Illustration Source: The Illustrated Flora of British Columbia
Ecology
Ecological Framework for Rorippa palustris
The table below shows the species-specific information calculated from
original data (BEC database) provided by the BC Ministry of Forests and Range.
(Updated August, 2013)
The table below shows the species-specific information calculated from
original data (BEC database) provided by the BC Ministry of Forests and Range.
(Updated August, 2013)
| Site Information |
Value / Class |
||
|
Avg |
Min |
Max |
|
| Elevation
(metres) |
891 | 0 | 1475 |
| Slope
Gradient (%) |
2 | 0 | 24 |
|
Aspect (degrees) |
190 | 110 | 270 |
| Soil
Moisture Regime (SMR) [0 - very xeric; 4 - mesic; 8 - hydric] |
6 | 5 | 8 |
| Modal
Nutrient Regime
Class |
D | ||
| #
of field plots species was recorded in: |
18 | ||
| Modal
BEC Zone Class |
ICH | ||
|
All BEC Zones (# of stations/zone) species was recorded in |
BWBS(2), CWH(2), ESSF(1), ICH(5), IDF(1), PP(1), SBPS(4), SWB(1) | ||
|
Source:
Klinkenberg 2013
|
|||
Habitat and Range
Wet meadows and boggy areas in the lowland and lower montane zones; common throughout BC; circumboreal, throughout North America.Synonyms
Synonyms and Alternate Names:
Rorippa islandica (Oeder) Borbás
Rorippa palustris subsp. fernaldiana (Butters & Abbe) Jonsell
Rorippa palustris subsp. fernaldiana
Rorippa palustris subsp. fernaldiana
Rorippa palustris subsp. fernaldiana
Rorippa palustris subsp. hispida (Desv.) Jonsell
Rorippa palustris subsp. occidentalis (S. Watson) Abrams
Rorippa palustris subsp. occidentalis
Rorippa palustris subsp. palustris (L.) Besser
Taxonomic Keys
1. Stems and abaxial leaf blade surfaces usually glabrous, rarely sparsely pubescent proximally........... Rorippa palustris subsp. palustris
1. Stems and abaxial leaf blades surfaces often densely hirsute.................Rorippa palustris subsp. hispida Source: Flora North America online. |