UW Burke Herbarium species comparison

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Barbarea vulgaris

Barbarea orthoceras

yellow rocket, bitter wintercress

American wintercress rocket, yellow rocket
Habit Mostly glabrous biennial from a taproot and simple crown, the stems stiff, erect, angled, single but freely-branched, 2-6 dm. tall. Mostly glabrous biennial from a taproot and simple crown, the stems stiff, erect, angled, single but freely-branched, 2-6 dm. tall.
Leaves

Basal leaves long-petiolate, up to 12 cm. long, the blade usually lyrate-pinnatifid to pinnate, the lateral lobes 1-3(-5) on each side, entire to round-toothed, the terminal lobe ovate, entire or irregularly toothed, the petiole often with long, marginal hairs;

cauline leaves alternate, glabrous, lobed, becoming simple and sagittate.

Basal leaves long-petiolate, up to 12 cm. long, the blade usually lyrate-pinnatifid to pinnate, the lateral lobes 8-10, entire to round-toothed, the terminal lobe ovate, entire or irregularly toothed, the petiole often with long, marginal hairs;

cauline leaves alternate, similar to the basal but reduced upward, becoming simple and sagittate.
Flowers

Inflorescence of compound or single and terminal racemes, with reduced racemes in the lower leaf axils; pedicles slender, 2-3 mm. long;

sepals 4, pale yellowish-green, 2 mm. long;

petals 4, yellow, spatulate-oblanceolate, 6-8 mm. long;

stamens 6;

style distinctly beak-like, 2-3 mm. long;

stigma slightly lobed.

Inflorescence of compound or single and terminal racemes, with reduced racemes in the lower leaf axils; pedicles stout, 2-3 mm. long;

sepals 4, pale yellowish-green, 2 mm. long;

petals 4, yellow, spatulate-oblanceolate, 3-5 mm. long;

stamens 6;

style beak-like, 0.5-2 mm. long;

stigma slightly lobed.
Fruits

Siliques 1-3 cm. long and 1.5-2.5 mm. broad, slightly compressed, 4-angled, strongly 1-nerved full length, erect or strongly ascending, nearly straight.

Siliques 1.5-5 cm. long and 1.5-2.5 mm. broad, slightly compressed, 4-angled, strongly 1-nerved full length, erect or strongly ascending, nearly straight.

Barbarea vulgaris

Barbarea orthoceras
Flowering time April-July March-July
Habitat Garden escape, found chiefly in wet places. Meadows, stream banks and moist woods, low to mid-elevations in the mountains.
Distribution
Occurring chiefly west of the Cascades crest in Washington; Alaska to California, east across most of North America to the Atlantic Coast.
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Occurring on both sides of the Cascades crest in Washington; Alaska to California, east to the Rocky Mountains, northern Great Plains, Great Lakes region, and northeastern North America.
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Origin Introduced from Eurasia Native
Conservation status Not of concern Not of concern
Sibling taxa
B. orthoceras, B. verna
B. verna, B. vulgaris
Web links 
Unless otherwise noted, all data comes from the University of Washington's Burke Herbarium.



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