About Rorippa sinuata (Nutt.) Hitchc.
Rorippa sinuata (Nutt.) Hitchc. is a species of flowering plant in the mustard family Brassicaceae, commonly known by the common name spreading yellowcress. It is native to North America, found across nearly all of the western and central United States. It grows in many types of moist and wet habitats, including lakeshores, riverbanks, meadows, and mudflats.
This species is a perennial herb that produces spreading stems up to 40 or 50 centimeters long. The whole plant is densely covered in hairs that are rounded, resembling sacs or vesicles. Its leaves can reach up to 8 centimeters in length, and their leaf blades are deeply toothed, lobed, or divided into smaller leaflets. The inflorescence is an elongated raceme that grows along the upper portion of the stem, holding many tiny yellow flowers that are only a few millimeters long. The fruit it produces is a curved silique. While the size and shape of this fruit can vary, it generally holds many minute seeds.
The Zuni people use an infusion of this plant as a wash, and burn the blossoms to produce smoke that is used to treat inflamed eyes.
