Rorippa palustris
Bog yellow cress
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Family: Brassicaceae · Type: Herb · Native
Rorippa palustris (Bog yellow cress) is a native California herb in the Brassicaceae family.
Bog yellow cress is a California native perennial found in wetland and riparian habitats across various bioregions at low to moderate elevations. Flowering from April to September, this plant produces small yellow flowers approximately 2 millimeters wide in elongated clusters. Growing with erect, branched stems 15 to 100 centimeters tall, it has a distinctive growth habit with early-deciduous basal rosettes. Its leaves are pinnately divided, with cauline leaves 2.5 to 10 centimeters long featuring lateral lobes that are oblong or ovate, ranging from nearly entire to slightly toothed. The plant produces slender, curved fruit pods 4 to 10 millimeters long containing 20 to 90 small ovoid seeds.
Identification and appearance
Key characters: Geographically isolated from all congeners
Habitat and range
California counties: Orange, Riverside, San Luis Obispo, Fresno, San Joaquin, San Diego, Los Angeles, Madera, Sutter, Contra Costa, Plumas, Tulare, Kings, Shasta, Kern, Mono, Sacramento, Merced, Humboldt, Inyo, Placer, Sonoma, Modoc, Santa Cruz, Butte, Marin, Stanislaus, Ventura, Santa Barbara
How to tell it apart
vs Barbarea: Rorippa stems stay round and smooth; Barbarea stems develop distinct ridges or angles you can feel.; vs Sisymbrium: Rorippa has a simple rounded stigma tip; Sisymbrium's stigma is clearly two-lobed.; vs Nasturtium: Rorippa pods are short and plump; Nasturtium pods are elongated and curved like tiny bananas.; vs Hirschfeldia: Rorippa grows in wet areas with rounded pods; Hirschfeldia prefers dry disturbed sites with beaked pods.; vs Cystopteris: Rorippa has yellow four-petaled flowers and seed pods; Cystopteris is a fern with no flowers.
Frequently asked questions
Is Rorippa palustris native to California?
Yes. Rorippa palustris is native to California (recorded as native).
Where in California does Rorippa palustris grow?
Rorippa palustris occurs in Orange, Riverside, San Luis Obispo, Fresno, San Joaquin, San Diego, Los Angeles, Madera and other counties.
What plant family does Rorippa palustris belong to?
Rorippa palustris is in the Brassicaceae family, genus Rorippa.
Related species
Other California species in the same genus, family, or bioregion.
Sources: Jepson eFlora · Index of California Plant Names · CalPhotos
Last updated 2026-10-07
Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Cal-IPC, and more.