Annual or biennial herb with a taproot to 1 m tall Stem: upright, branched, and hairy. Leaves: alternate, pinnately divided (the lower leaves), lance-shaped to oblong- reverse egg-shaped, hairy beneath. The middle stem leaves are generally winged toward the lobed base, looking more or less stalkless. Flowers: in branched clusters (racemes). Sepals four, ascending. Petals four, yellow, 1.5 - 2.5 mm long, about as long as sepals, bases narrowed. Stamens six. Fruit: a pod (silique), 2.5 - 9 mm long, more or less round in cross-section.
Similar species: No information at this time.
Flowering: late May to mid-August
Habitat and ecology: Local in wet, often calcareous ground, usually near ponds.
Occurence in the Chicago region: native
Etymology: Rorippa possibly comes from the Latin roro, meaning "to be moist," and ripa, meaning riverbank. Palustris means "marsh-loving." Hispida means bristly.