early wintercress, Barbarea verna

Early wintercress is a popular vegetable in many places - popular enough to have collected many common names, some as creative as creasy greens or cassabully. It tastes much like watercress, but grows best in damp soil rather than water. Wintercress looks very much like yellow rocket (B. vulgaris), and is often confused with it. Barbarea vulgaris has leaves that are all lobed, while B. verna has uppermost leaves that are at most toothed. This Eurasian now grows in AL, AR, CA, CT, DE, FL, GA, IL, IN, KY, MA, MD, ME, MI, MS, MT, NC, NJ, NY, OH, OR, PA, RI, SC, TN, VA, WA, WV, BC, NF, and on SPM. Beal Gardens MSU, 4/12/12. Mustard family, Brassicaceae.