Leaf
Jean-Pascal Milcent · CC BY-SA 2.0
Watercress
Nasturtium officinale R.Br.
Family: Brassicaceae
10 to 60 cm long, often floating or creeping
Clear, cool running water, springs, streams; also grown in watercress beds
Flowering: May – October
Full sun
Part shade
Hardy, tolerates frost, mainly declines from lack of running water
❓ How do you recognise this plant?
Watercress grows directly in running water — it is one of the few truly aquatic vegetable plants grown in France, traditionally in flooded watercress beds.
🍃 Leaves
Pinnate, made up of rounded leaflets, bright green, fleshy
🌸 Flowers
White, small, with 4 petals in a cross, grouped in racemes
🍎 Fruits
Short, slightly curved silique
🪵 Bark
Hollow stem, creeping then rising, rooting at the nodes
🗺️ Distribution
Widespread throughout France in unpolluted running water
🐝 Value for pollinators
Nectar-rich flowers, visited by small insects
✂️ Horticultural uses
Leaf vegetable grown in watercress beds, valued for its characteristic peppery flavour
⚠️ Possible toxicity
Edible raw in salads; only to be gathered from clean water because of the risk of parasites (liver fluke) on wild plants
🌿 Other Brassicaceae to discover
ℹ️ Educational profile — do not use it to judge whether a plant is edible or safe.
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