Brassicaceae

Barbarea orthoceras

American Winter Cress

Stem erect, stiff, branched. Basal leaves pinnately divided, usually into 5(–7) lobes, the end lobe egg-shaped, toothed or entire; stem leaves become less lobed, smaller upward, often clasping. Flowers small in clusters at top of expanding stem, with 4 yellow petals. Seedpods, ascending, consist of 1–2 in. thin cylinders on short stalks. Grows in wet meadows, rocks, along waterways; found on beaches to 10,000 ft.

• Rarity: Common
• Flowering Time: Mid-Late Spring
• Life Cycle: Biennial, Perennial
• Height: 1--2 feet
• Habitat: Meadow, Vernal Wet
• Found In: Olympic Np, Mt. Rainier Np, Steens, Siskiyous, West Gorge, N Cascades Np
• Native: Yes