Part of plant used
Leaves / aerial parts
Plant origin
Watercress is native to the Mediterranean, Europe and Asia
Description & identification
Originally an aquatic or semi-aquatic perennial plant, watercress is a member of the Brassicaceae family, closely related to broccoli, brussels sprouts, cabbage, mustard, horseradish, kale and garden cress. While most people think of it as a salad vegetable, it’s also a very important herb. The term officinale refers to its inclusion in a list of the most important medicinal herbs.
Watercress has a distinctive, potent, peppery, mustard taste. Unfortunately, it has a lot of lookalikes. These include the aptly named fool’s watercress, land cress, garden cress, nasturtium and pea shoots. Confusing matters further, some of these have a similar taste and flowers. What sets watercress apart from this…
