Wavy Bittercress | Plant Information

Please keep in mind that it is illegal to uproot a plant without the landowner's consent and care should be taken at all times not to damage wild plants. Wild plants should never be picked for pleasure and some plants are protected by law.
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Plant Data

Flowering Months:

JAN FEB MAR APR MAY JUN JUL AUG SEP OCT NOV DEC

Order:

Brassicales

Family:

Brassicaceae (Cabbage)

Also in this family:

Black Mustard, Common Whitlowgrass, Creeping Yellowcress, Cuckooflower, Dame's-violet, Danish Scurvygrass, Field Pennycress, Garlic Mustard, Greater Cuckooflower, Greater Periwinkle, Greater Swinecress, Hairy Bittercress, Hairy Rock-cress, Hedge Mustard, Hoary Stock, Honesty, Horseradish, Large Bittercress, Lesser Swinecress, Marsh Yellowcress, Oilseed Rape, Purple Rock-cress, Sea Radish, Sea Rocket, Shepherd's Purse, Smith's Pepperwort, Sweet Alyssum, Tall Rocket, Thale Cress, Wallflower, Watercress, Wintercress

Type:

Flower

Maximum Size:

50 centimetres tall

Habitats:

Gardens, riverbanks, riversides, swamps, waterside, woodland.

Flower:

White, 4 petals

Tiny and forming clusters at the top. 4 white petals with 6 yellow stamens. Counting the number of stamens is perhaps the most reliable way to distinguish this flower from the almost identical Hairy Bittercress which has 4 yellow stamens.

Fruit:

Long, thin, cylindrical seed pods which usually are lower than the topmost flowers. This is useful to know when trying to distinguish this flower from Hairy Bittercress which has seed pods that normally overtop the flowers.

Leaves:

The basal rosette has alternate leaves. Stem leaves are compound with 3-6 pairs of leaflets and a terminal leaflet. Leaflets are wavy edged. The upright main stem upon which the leaves emerge from are likely to be zigzagged or wavy after which the plant is named.

Aroma:

The leaves are aromatic when bruised.

Other Names:

Common Bittercress, Flick Weed, Greater Bittercress, Wavy-leaved Bittercress, Wood Bittercress, Woodland Bittercress.

Frequency (UK):

Abundant