Rorippa tenerrima
Modoc yellow cress
(c) Abraham Sánchez Romero, some rights reserved (CC BY) · licence
Family: Brassicaceae · Type: Herb · Native
Rorippa tenerrima (Modoc yellow cress) is a native California herb in the Brassicaceae family, recognized by constricted fruits with papillate valves and very narrow petals.
Modoc yellow cress is a California native annual found in the Peninsular Ranges in marshes, wet meadows, and streambanks at elevations below 1,600 meters. Flowering from June to October, this plant produces small yellow flowers less than one millimeter wide in elongated clusters. Growing with prostrate to decumbent stems 20 to 35 centimeters tall that branch extensively at the base, it displays pinnately lobed leaves with linear to oblong lateral segments. Its leaves are oblong to oblanceolate, with basal leaves early-deciduous and mid-stem leaves ranging from 2 to 9 centimeters long. The fruit is a slender, curved silique 3 to 7 millimeters long, typically slightly constricted in the middle.
Identification and appearance
Key characters: 5 sympatric species; constricted fruits with papillate valves and very narrow petals are diagnostic
Habitat and range
Habitat: Marshes, wet meadows, streambanks
Elevation: < 1600 m
Outside California: to British Columbia, Colorado, Texas, Mexico
Bloom period
Rorippa tenerrima blooms Jun-Oct.
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 tenerrima native to California?
Yes. Rorippa tenerrima is native to California (recorded as native).
When does Rorippa tenerrima bloom?
Rorippa tenerrima blooms Jun-Oct.
What plant family does Rorippa tenerrima belong to?
Rorippa tenerrima is in the Brassicaceae family, genus Rorippa.
What habitat does Rorippa tenerrima grow in?
Rorippa tenerrima grows in Marshes, wet meadows, streambanks.
Related species
Other California species in the same genus, family, or bioregion.
- Rorippa austriaca — Austrian field-cress
- Rorippa columbiae — Columbia yellow cress
- Rorippa curvipes — Bluntleaf yellow cress
- Rorippa curvisiliqua — Curvepod yellow cress
- Rorippa palustris — Bog yellow cress
- Rorippa palustris subsp. hispida
- Sibara deserti — Desert winged rockcress
- Sibara filifolia — Santa cruz island rockcress
- Sibara sp.
- Sibaropsis hammittii — Hammitt's clay-cress
Sources: Jepson eFlora · 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.