''Rorippa curvisiliqua'' is a 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 ...

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 ...

known by the common name curvepod yellowcress. It is native to western North America from

Alaska Alaska ( ) is a non-contiguous U.S. state on the northwest extremity of North America. Part of the Western United States region, it is one of the two non-contiguous U.S. states, alongside Hawaii. Alaska is also considered to be the north ...

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

Wyoming Wyoming ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States, Western United States. It borders Montana to the north and northwest, South Dakota and Nebraska to the east, Idaho t ...

. It is also native to the northwest part of Mexico. It can be found in various types of moist and wet habitat, including lakeshores and riverbanks, meadows, roadsides, and

mudflat Mudflats or mud flats, also known as tidal flats or, in Ireland, slob or slobs, are coastal wetlands that form in intertidal areas where sediments have been deposited by tides or rivers. A global analysis published in 2019 suggested that tidal ...

Description

''Rorippa curvisiliqua'' is an

annual Annual may refer to: *Annual publication, periodical publications appearing regularly once per year **Yearbook **Literary annual *Annual plant *Annual report *Annual giving *Annual, Morocco, a settlement in northeastern Morocco *Annuals (band), a ...

biennial Biennial means (an event) lasting for two years or occurring every two years. The related term biennium is used in reference to a period of two years. In particular, it can refer to: * Biennial plant, a plant which blooms in its second year and t ...

herb Herbs are a widely distributed and widespread group of plants, excluding vegetables, with savory or aromatic properties that are used for flavoring and garnishing food, for medicinal purposes, or for fragrances. Culinary use typically distingu ...

which can be quite variable in appearance. It produces prostrate to erect stems up to half a meter long. The leaves are up to 7 centimeters long and have blades which may be smooth-edged or divided into lobes of varying shapes. The

inflorescence In botany, an inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a plant's Plant stem, stem that is composed of a main branch or a system of branches. An inflorescence is categorized on the basis of the arrangement of flowers on a mai ...

is an elongated

raceme A raceme () or racemoid is an unbranched, indeterminate growth, indeterminate type of inflorescence bearing flowers having short floral stalks along the shoots that bear the flowers. The oldest flowers grow close to the base and new flowers are ...

occupying the top portion of the stem containing many tiny yellow flowers just a few millimeters long. The fruit is a

silique A silique or siliqua (plural ''siliques'' or ''siliquae'') is a type of fruit (seed capsule) having two fused carpels with the length being more than three times the width. When the length is less than three times the width of the dried fruit ...

which is variable in size and shape but generally contains many minute seeds. This species has been divided into a number of varieties, but some authorities doubt that this division is valid or useful.

References

External links

Jepson Manual Treatment of ''Rorippa curvisiliqua''USDA Plants Profile for ''Rorippa curvisiliqua''''Rorippa curvisiliqua'' — U.C. Photo gallery
* {{Taxonbar, from=Q7366833 curvisiliqua Flora of Alaska Flora of British Columbia Flora of California Flora of Idaho Flora of Montana Flora of Nevada Flora of Oregon Flora of Wyoming Flora of the Cascade Range Flora of the Klamath Mountains Flora of the Sierra Nevada (United States) Flora of the West Coast of the United States Natural history of the California chaparral and woodlands Natural history of the California Coast Ranges Natural history of the Central Valley (California) Natural history of the Santa Monica Mountains Natural history of the Transverse Ranges Flora without expected TNC conservation status