''Barbarea'' (winter cress or yellow rocket) is a genus of about 22 species of
flowering plant
Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (). The term angiosperm is derived from the Ancient Greek, Greek words (; 'container, vessel') and (; 'seed'), meaning that the seeds are enclosed with ...
s in the family
Brassicaceae
Brassicaceae () or (the older but equally valid) Cruciferae () is a medium-sized and economically important Family (biology), family of flowering plants commonly known as the mustards, the crucifers, or the cabbage family. Most are herbaceous pla ...
, native to temperate regions of the
Northern Hemisphere
The Northern Hemisphere is the half of Earth that is north of the equator. For other planets in the Solar System, north is defined by humans as being in the same celestial sphere, celestial hemisphere relative to the invariable plane of the Solar ...
, with the highest species diversity in southern
Europe
Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...
and southwest
Asia
Asia ( , ) is the largest continent in the world by both land area and population. It covers an area of more than 44 million square kilometres, about 30% of Earth's total land area and 8% of Earth's total surface area. The continent, which ...
. They are small, herbaceous,
biennial or
perennial plant
In horticulture, the term perennial (''wikt:per-#Prefix, per-'' + ''wikt:-ennial#Suffix, -ennial'', "through the year") is used to differentiate a plant from shorter-lived annual plant, annuals and biennial plant, biennials. It has thus been d ...
s with dark green, deeply lobed
leaves
A leaf (: leaves) is a principal appendage of the stem of a vascular plant, usually borne laterally above ground and specialized for photosynthesis. Leaves are collectively called foliage, as in "autumn foliage", while the leaves, stem, ...
and yellow
flower
Flowers, also known as blooms and blossoms, are the reproductive structures of flowering plants ( angiosperms). Typically, they are structured in four circular levels, called whorls, around the end of a stalk. These whorls include: calyx, m ...
s with four petals.
Selected species
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Barbarea australis''
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Barbarea balcana''
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Barbarea bosniaca''
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Barbarea bracteosa''
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Barbarea conferta''
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Barbarea hongii''
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Barbarea intermedia''
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Barbarea lepuznica''
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Barbarea longirostris''
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Barbarea orthoceras''
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Barbarea rupicola''
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Barbarea sicula''
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Barbarea stricta''
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Barbarea taiwaniana''
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Barbarea verna''
*''
Barbarea vulgaris
''Barbarea vulgaris'', also called wintercress (usual common name), or alternatively winter rocket, rocketcress, yellow rocketcress, yellow rocket, wound rocket, herb barbara, creases, or creasy greens, is a Biennial plant, biennial herb of the ...
''
Uses
They grow into
rosettes of edible
cress foliage that resemble
dandelion leaves. ''Barbarea verna'', known as upland cress, early winter cress, American cress, Belle Isle cress and scurvy grass, is used to add a spicy taste to salads and mixed
leaf greens for cooking.
Chemical compounds
Winter cress contains different
glucosinolates
Glucosinolates are natural components of many pungent plants such as mustard, cabbage, and horseradish. The pungency of those plants is due to mustard oils produced from glucosinolates when the plant material is chewed, cut, or otherwise dama ...
,
flavonoids, and
saponins.
See also
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Rocket (arugula)
References
External links
Flora Europaea: ''Barbarea''Flora of China: ''Barbarea''
*
Brassicaceae genera
Leaf vegetables
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