Common Wintercress or Yellow Rocket

Barbarea vulgaris Common wintercress occurs throughout Great Britain, being common in the south but less frequent further north. It may be biennial or perennial and it grows in hedges, on stream banks, waysides, and other damp places. It flowers from May to August.

Common wintercress was, in the past, commonly cultivated in English gardens as an early salad. In Sweden the leaves were boiled as kale, while in New Zealand the natives used the plant as a food under the name toi. In the 17th century, John Pechey said of the plant, “‘Tis acrid and hote, and much of the same Virtue with Cresses. ‘Tis mix’d with Sallets, especially in the Winter-time, when Cresses are scarce; wherefore ‘tis called Winter-Cress.’