''Rorippa columbiae'' is a species of

flowering plant Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (), commonly called angiosperms. The term "angiosperm" is derived from the Greek words ('container, vessel') and ('seed'), and refers to those plants th ...

in the family Brassicaceae known by the common names Columbian yellowcress and Columbia yellow cress.

Distribution

It is native to the western United States from central

Washington Washington commonly refers to: * Washington (state), United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A metonym for the federal government of the United States ** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered on ...

to northeastern

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

, where it grows in moist to wet, sandy habitat types, such as playas (dry lakes). It is not a common plant; it is known from about fifteen occurrences in the

Modoc Plateau __NOTOC__ The Modoc Plateau lies in the northeast corner of California as well as parts of Oregon and Nevada. Nearly of the Modoc National Forest are on the plateau between the Medicine Lake Highlands in the west and the Warner Mountains in the ...

region of California, it is a candidate for protection in

Oregon Oregon () is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of it ...

, and it is state-listed as a threatened species in Washington.California Native Plant Society Rare Plant Profile
/ref>

Description

''Rorippa columbia'' is a

perennial A perennial plant or simply perennial is a plant that lives more than two years. The term ('' per-'' + '' -ennial'', "through the years") is often used to differentiate a plant from shorter-lived annuals and biennials. The term is also wide ...

herb In general use, herbs are a widely distributed and widespread group of plants, excluding vegetables and other plants consumed for macronutrients, with savory or aromatic properties that are used for flavoring and garnishing food, for medicinal ...

growing prostrate to erect, its densely hairy stems reaching 10 to 40 centimeters in maximum length. The leaves are deeply lobed, the lobes sometimes cut all the way to the midrib. Lower leaves are borne on petioles; upper leaves have bases that clasp the stem. The mustardlike flowers have small yellow petals. The fruit is a plump, hairy silique a few millimeters long containing many minute seeds.

References

External links

Jepson Manual Treatment of ''Rorippa columbiae''USDA Plants Profile for ''Rorippa columbiae''Flora of North America: ''Rorippa columbiae''Washington Burke Museum''Rorippa columbiae'' — U.C. Photo gallery
columbiae Flora of California Flora of Oregon Flora of Washington (state) Flora of the Great Basin Flora without expected TNC conservation status {{Brassicales-stub