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Watercress

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description Watercress Overview

Watercress, Nasturtium officinale, is an aquatic or semi-aquatic perennial in the mustard family, native to Europe and Asia and naturalized in many other regions. It grows in cool, flowing freshwater and produces hollow stems, compound leaves, small white flowers, and peppery edible foliage. Watercress has a long history as a cultivated vegetable and is eaten raw or cooked, but plants gathered from unmanaged waterways can carry contaminants or parasites.

help Watercress FAQ

Is wild watercress safe to eat directly from a stream?

Wild watercress should not be eaten unless the water source is known to be clean and uncontaminated. Plants from water used by livestock can carry parasites such as the liver fluke Fasciola hepatica.

How do I identify watercress?

Nasturtium officinale has hollow creeping stems, compound leaves with rounded leaflets, and small white four-petaled flowers. Its leaves have a peppery mustard flavor, but identification alone does not establish that the water is safe.

Can watercress be grown without a flowing stream?

Yes, it can be grown in containers or very wet soil if supplied with clean water and kept consistently moist. It prefers cool conditions and can be harvested repeatedly by cutting the upper stems.

Why is watercress considered invasive in some places?

Watercress can root at its stem nodes and form dense mats in springs and streams outside its native European and Asian range. Those mats may displace local aquatic vegetation and alter water flow.

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