How to Grow and Care for Yellowcresses

Creeping yellowcress, or Rorippa sylvestris, is a member of the mustard family. However, this yellow-flowered plant is an invasive weed that is often found in fields and plant nurseries. Once established in yards or lawns it is difficult to eradicate.

Plant height is 20 to 50 cm. The leaves are oblong and jagged and the stem is dark green and reddish. The flowers are planted from the roots and a yellow four-valve cruciform flower is attached to the whole from spring to summer. The fruit is a long-horned fruit with a length of about 2 cm and bends in a bow shape.

Bog yellowcress (Rorippa palustris) is a water-loving plant. It has the Latin name palustris, meaning "of the marsh," in recognition of its preferred habitat. This plant can be distinguished from the otherwise similar species Rorippa hispida by its hairless leaves and stems. You can spot the plant's small, yellow flowers in marshy habitats worldwide.

Great yellowcress is a flowering plant that attracts a wide variety of pollinators resulting in pollination syndrome, creating an array of hybrids. It grows in Finland, often in areas with wastewater such as drainage ditches. The plant is often used in aquariums for its love of filthy, muddy water.

Austrian yellow cress (Rorippa austriaca) is a flowering plant that reaches nearly 1 m high. It is native to Europe and Asia, but has been imported to North America where it has become a noxious weed. Austrian yellow cress commonly reproduces clonally and can send out extensive root networks.