WINTER CRESS

any of about 12 species of the genus Barbarea, weedy herbs of the mustard family (Brassicaceae), native to the north temperate region. Common winter cress, or rocket (B. vulgaris), in early summer bears flower stems 80 centimetres (32 inches) tall with unstalked, small, lobed leaves and branched clusters of small, bright-yellow flowers. The fruits are many-seeded, long, narrow capsules. Early winter cress, or scurvy grass (B. verna), has basal leaves with four to eight pairs of lobesabout twice as many as common winter cress. Both species sometimes are cultivated as salad plants.