About Rorippa austriaca (Crantz) Besser
Rorippa austriaca (Crantz) Besser is a species of flowering plant in the mustard family Brassicaceae, with the common names Austrian yellow-cress and Austrian fieldcress. It is native to regions of Europe and Asia, and has been introduced to North America, where it is sometimes classified as a noxious weed. This plant can grow in both disturbed habitats like roadsides and very wet habitats such as mudflats. It is a perennial herb that grows in an upright to erect form, reaching a maximum height of around one meter. Its branching stem has hairless, blue-green, lance-shaped leaves that grow up to 10 centimeters long. The bases of the plant’s upper leaves clasp around the stem. The inflorescence forms a raceme located at the top of the main stem and at the ends of stem branches. The mustard-like flowers have small yellow petals. The fruit of this species is a plump silique that is a few millimeters long, but many individual plants do not produce fruit, and seed production is generally rare. Reproduction most often occurs vegetatively: plants focus much of their growth on belowground tissue and spread clonally. The species has a particularly aggressive root system that sprouts many new plants as it spreads.
