''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 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 ...

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

*'' Barbarea australis'' *'' Barbarea balcana'' *''

Barbarea bosniaca ''Barbarea'' (winter cress or yellow rocket) is a genus of about 22 species of flowering plants in the family Brassicaceae, native to temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere, with the highest species diversity in southern Europe and southwes ...

'' *'' Barbarea bracteosa'' *'' Barbarea conferta'' *''

Barbarea hongii ''Barbarea'' (winter cress or yellow rocket) is a genus of about 22 species of flowering plants in the family Brassicaceae, native to temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere, with the highest species diversity in southern Europe and southwes ...

'' *''

Barbarea intermedia ''Barbarea intermedia'' (common name medium-flowered winter-cress) is a species of flowering plant in the family Brassicaceae. It is native to northern Africa and many parts of Europe, and naturalized in some parts of Asia, Africa and Europe. Re ...

'' *'' Barbarea lepuznica'' *'' Barbarea longirostris'' *'' Barbarea orthoceras'' *''

Barbarea rupicola ''Barbarea'' (winter cress or yellow rocket) is a genus of about 22 species of flowering plants in the family Brassicaceae, native to temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere, with the highest species diversity in southern Europe and southwes ...

'' *''

Barbarea sicula ''Barbarea'' (winter cress or yellow rocket) is a genus of about 22 species of flowering plants in the family Brassicaceae, native to temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere, with the highest species diversity in southern Europe and southwes ...

'' *''

Barbarea stricta ''Barbarea stricta'', the small-flowered winter-cress, is a species of plant in the family Brassicaceae. Description ''Barbarea stricta'' is a biennial or perennial herb up to 100 cm tall. Leaves are up to 7 cm long, pinnately lobed ...

'' *''

Barbarea taiwaniana ''Barbarea'' (winter cress or yellow rocket) is a genus of about 22 species of flowering plants in the family Brassicaceae, native to temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere, with the highest species diversity in southern Europe and southwes ...

'' *''

Barbarea verna ''Barbarea verna'' is a biennial herb in the family Brassicaceae. Common names include land cress, American cress, bank cress, black wood cress, Belle Isle cress, Bermuda cress, poor man's cabbage, early yellowrocket, early wintercress, scurvy ...

'' *''

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 ''Taraxacum'' () is a genus of flowering plants in the family Asteraceae, which consists of species commonly known as dandelions. The scientific and hobby study of the genus is known as taraxacology. The genus has a near-cosmopolitan distribu ...

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 Flavonoids (or bioflavonoids; from the Latin word ''flavus'', meaning yellow, their color in nature) are a class of polyphenolic secondary metabolites found in plants, and thus commonly consumed in the diets of humans. Chemically, flavonoids ...

, and

saponins Saponins (Latin ''sapon'', 'soap' + ''-in'', 'one of') are bitter-tasting, usually toxic plant-derived secondary metabolites. They are Organic compound, organic chemicals that become foamy when agitated in water and have high Molar mass, molecul ...

References

External links

Flora Europaea: ''Barbarea''Flora of China: ''Barbarea''
* Brassicaceae genera Leaf vegetables {{vegetable-stub

Selected species

Uses

Chemical compounds

See also

References

External links