General: Watercress (Nasturtium officinale) are perennial plants of small ponds, streams, and marshy areas. The stems are hollow, so the plant floats on the surface of the water. The leaves are compound, with each leaflet looking like a small, round leaf. The 4-petaled flowers are white.

Around Las Vegas, look for this species in wet places in the Upper Sonoran (Mojave Desert Scrub and Pinyon-Juniper Woodland) life zones. White Rock Spring often has watercress.

Family: Mustard (Brassicaceae).

Other Names: Nasturtium nasturtium-aquaticum, Nasturtium officinale var. siifolium, Rorippa nasturtium-aquaticum, Sisymbrium nasturtium-aquaticum

Plant Form: Perennial forb. Floating, leafy, wetland plant.

Height: To a few inches high, but spread widely on the surface of the water or on mud.

Stems: Floats on the water surface or grows on mud; roots at nodes.

Leaves: To about 6 inches long. Widely oblong, 1-pinnate, 3–7 leaflets. Margin entire or wavy.

Flowers: Blooms during spring and summer. Clusters of small, white, 4-petaled flowers.

Seeds:

Habitat: Wet places such as seeps, ponds, and desert streams.

Elevation: Below about 9,000 feet.

Distribution: Native to Europe and central Asia, this weedy species is common throughout North America and beyond.

Comments: Watercress is edible, but browsers should consider where it is growing before eating it.