Stats

Lifespan: Biennial
Size: Medium
Diet: Photosynthetic
Biome: Temperate grassland
Range: Eurasia
Movement: Sessile
Breeding: Seeds
Defense: Toxins
Status: Common

About

Wintercress is a biennial herb in the mustard family that produces dense clusters of bright yellow flowers in early spring — often one of the first wildflowers to bloom, sometimes pushing up through late snow. Its young basal leaves are edible with a sharp, peppery bite and were once a key spring green before cultivated vegetables were available.

Life cycle

1.
seed
A dormant seed waits for water and warmth before germinating.
2.
sprout
A first shoot emerges with cotyledon leaves and a tap root reaching down.
3.
sapling
A young plant grows true leaves and a stem or trunk, putting on height each season.
4.
mature
Fully grown, flowering or fruiting at adult size.

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Taxonomy

Kingdom: Plantae
Phylum: Tracheophyta
Class: Magnoliopsida
Order: Brassicales
Family: Brassicaceae
Genus: Barbarea
Species: Barbarea vulgaris