m_whitson's Identifications

Wintercress (Barbarea Vulgaris) comes from the family Brassicaceae and the order Brassicales. This plant although beautiful is considered to be a non-native invasive species. Many consider this plant to be a weed due to how widespread and quickly it grows.
    I have read that this plant is edible and has many different forms in which it can be eaten, but if eaten raw it leaves such a nasty bitter taste that many do not bother to eat it raw. If it is eaten, many will eat the flowers in a salad or cook the unopened flowering buds, or harvest its fruit in late summer-early fall. In researching this, I have also found that wintercress contains anti-carcinogenic properties, which means it aids in slowing the development of cancer.
    I have found a lot of information regarding this plant on https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/barbarea-vulgaris/ and I have read that the genus of this plant (Barbarea) comes from Saint Barbara, where miners would get wounds caused by detonation to mine different elements. I found this very interesting and wanted to share.
    Phenology: Because this photo was taken during the middle of spring, and due to its height and abundance of blooms with no evidence of fruiting bodies, I would assume this plant is in its juvenilef stage. It can grow and survive through snow and ice, but the cold stunts the growth of this weed and you will not see it as frequently. When fully mature and also fruiting, it will produce fruit of a brown color that can be harvested in the fall time, as winter approaches. These fruit are found on the same stem as the flower and its typical pollinator are bees and butterflies.
    Habitat: Wintercress is often thought to be a weed due to how quickly it grows, but also because it grows pretty much anywhere. It is a very hardy plant and can be found on the roadside, or in undisturbed forests like in the photo above. It can grow in rocky areas, steep slopes, or overly moist soil. Even though it can grow in these many different places, it does prefer to live in moist soil that has recently been disturbed. This plant is often found blooming in the spring and enjoys full sunlight with sandy-like soil. As in the name, it grows during winter as well, but you will typically see it before it flowers, and apparently, that is the best time to pick this weedy “herb” if you plan to eat it!
    How common: This plant is extremely common in the US and other parts of Eurasia due to its hardiness and quickness in spreading its seed. Each plant can produce many seeds and performs self-seeding. It is also important to mention that this plant has a taproot. It is pollinated by different bees and butterflies for its bright yellow color and fragrance it produces. It typically will have 4-5 petals on each flower with differently colored sepals.
    Size: This plant can grow up to 1-2 feet in height and produce flowers that are only 0.5-1 full in wide. The flowers form in small dense clusters directly above the foliage and these will flower from April-July. The leaves of the foliage can be either ovate or lobed and when fruiting, the fruit can be slightly larger than the flower itself.

These photos were taken at Red Wolf Sanctuary and Raptor Rehabilitation Center.
Date Taken: 4/19/2024