Rorippa austriaca
Encyclopedia
Rorippa austriaca is a species of flowering plant in the mustard family
known by the common names Austrian fieldcress and Austrian yellowcress. It is native to parts of Europe and Asia, and it is known in North America as an introduced species
and sometimes a noxious weed. It can grow in disturbed habitat, such as roadsides, and in very wet habitat such as mudflat
s. It is a perennial herb growing upright to erect, reaching a maximum height near one meter. The branching stem bears hairless blue-green lance-shaped leaves up to 10 centimeters long. The bases of the upper leaves clasp the stem. The inflorescence
is a raceme
at the top of the stem and the ends of stem branches. The mustardlike flowers have small yellow petals. The fruit is a plump silique
a few millimeters long, but many plants do not fruit and seed production is rare. Reproduction in this species is more often vegetative
, the plants concentrating their growth in belowground tissue and spreading clonally
. The root system of the plant is particularly aggressive, sending up many new plants as it spreads.
Brassicaceae
Brassicaceae, a medium sized and economically important family of flowering plants , are informally known as the mustards, mustard flowers, the crucifers or the cabbage family....
known by the common names Austrian fieldcress and Austrian yellowcress. It is native to parts of Europe and Asia, and it is known in North America as an introduced species
Introduced species
An introduced species — or neozoon, alien, exotic, non-indigenous, or non-native species, or simply an introduction, is a species living outside its indigenous or native distributional range, and has arrived in an ecosystem or plant community by human activity, either deliberate or accidental...
and sometimes a noxious weed. It can grow in disturbed habitat, such as roadsides, and in very wet habitat such as mudflat
Mudflat
Mudflats or mud flats, also known as tidal flats, are coastal wetlands that form when mud is deposited by tides or rivers. They are found in sheltered areas such as bays, bayous, lagoons, and estuaries. Mudflats may be viewed geologically as exposed layers of bay mud, resulting from deposition of...
s. It is a perennial herb growing upright to erect, reaching a maximum height near one meter. The branching stem bears hairless blue-green lance-shaped leaves up to 10 centimeters long. The bases of the upper leaves clasp the stem. The inflorescence
Inflorescence
An inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a stem that is composed of a main branch or a complicated arrangement of branches. Strictly, it is the part of the shoot of seed plants where flowers are formed and which is accordingly modified...
is a raceme
Raceme
A raceme is a type of inflorescence that is unbranched and indeterminate and bears pedicellate flowers — flowers having short floral stalks called pedicels — along the axis. In botany, axis means a shoot, in this case one bearing the flowers. In a raceme, the oldest flowers are borne...
at the top of the stem and the ends of stem branches. The mustardlike flowers have small yellow petals. The fruit is a plump silique
Silique
A silique or siliqua is a fruit of 2 fused carpels with the length being more than three times the width. The outer walls of the ovary usually separate when ripe, leaving a persistent partition...
a few millimeters long, but many plants do not fruit and seed production is rare. Reproduction in this species is more often vegetative
Vegetative reproduction
Vegetative reproduction is a form of asexual reproduction in plants. It is a process by which new individuals arise without production of seeds or spores...
, the plants concentrating their growth in belowground tissue and spreading clonally
Cloning
Cloning in biology is the process of producing similar populations of genetically identical individuals that occurs in nature when organisms such as bacteria, insects or plants reproduce asexually. Cloning in biotechnology refers to processes used to create copies of DNA fragments , cells , or...
. The root system of the plant is particularly aggressive, sending up many new plants as it spreads.