American Winter-cress - Barbarea verna

Short to tall hairy plant. Basal leaves with 6 to 10 pairs of lateral lobes, uppermost leaves pinnately divided several times. Flowers mid yellow, 7 to 10 mm not forming such dense heads as B.vulgaris. Fruit long 3 to 7 cm.

other Barbarea; other yellow crucifers

Basal leaves pinnate; seed-pods appressed (folded up against stem); upper leaves pinnate or pinnately lobed > halfway to midrib; at least some fruits >4mm.

General photo of plant in habitat; details of basal and stem leaves.

Damp habitats, waste places, disturbed and cultivated ground.

April to July.

Biennial.

Found throughout much of Britain, though not common.

Occasional in Leicestershire and Rutland. In the 1979 Flora survey of Leicestershire it was found in 9 of the 617 tetrads.

In the current Checklist (Jeeves, 2011) it is listed as Alien (casual); scarce