Rorippa amphibia

Amphibious yellowcress

Habitus (CC BY-SA 3.0) Fornax

Short Description

The amphibious yellowcress can grow up to 120 cm high.

The leaves are elongated and narrow. The margin is irregularly serrated. The lower leaves are often incised. The submerged leaves are comb-shaped.

The stem grows ascending, bare and branched. It often also has lying and rooting parts.

The flowers are clustered at the end of a grape-shaped flower head. They have four yellow petals.

The fruits are egg-shaped pods that open on both sides.

Features

Amphibious yellowcress

Rorippa amphibia
  • four yellow petals

  • elongated, serrated leaves

Blütenstand (CC BY-SA 4.0) Stefan.lefnaer

In the city

It is a pioneer on nutrient-rich, marshy soils that dry out at times. It grows on shallow banks and siltation areas of ponds, in ditches and in old water bodies.

Fun Facts

  • It reproduces both via seeds and via broken, rooted shoot pieces.

  • It can live permanently submerged in water. It then forms thick, hollow, tubular stems that allow it sufficient gas exchange.

  • The flowering period is from May to August.

  • It is a perennial plant. This means that a plant lives for several years, but flowers only once and dies after the seeds have ripened.

  • Endangerment level Germany: not endangered
  • It is native to Germany. It is found throughout Europe and Asia.

Habitus (CC BY-SA 3.0) TeunSpaans

Sources

Habitus, Fornax, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Rorippa_amphibia_eF.jpg

Blütenstand, Stefan.lefnaer, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Rorippa_amphibia_sl1.jpg

Habitus, TeunSpaans, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Rorippa_amphibia_plant.jpg

Kammer, P. M. (2016) Pflanzen einfach bestimmen. Schritt für Schritt einheimische Arten kennenlernen, Bern: Haupt Verlag.

Spohn, M., Golte-Bechtle, M. & Spohn, R. (2015) Was blüht denn da? Stuttgart: Franckh Kosmos Verlag.

Page „Wasser-Sumpfkresse“. : Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Date of last revision: 22.07.2017, 22:26 UTC. URL: https://de.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Wasser-Sumpfkresse&oldid=167502641 (Accessed: 24.08.2018).