Garden Yellow Rocket (Barbarea vulgaris): yellow Minnesota wildflowers

Garden Yellow Rocket

Plant Info
Also known as:	Winter Cress, Yellow-rocket
Scientific name:	Barbarea vulgaris
Family:	Mustard (Brassicaceae)
Life cycle:	biennial
Origin:	Eurasia
Habitat:	sun to part shade; moist fields, edges of woods, along roads, along shores
Bloom season:	spring, early summer
Plant height:	1 to 3 feet
USDA PLANTS database:	Minnesota county distribution map
Spotted in Ramsey County at:	Battle Creek Regional Park Long Lake Regional Park

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Flower:: Flowers are in round clusters 1 to 1½ inches across at the top of branching stems. Individual flowers are about 1/3 inch across, with 4 petals and 6 yellow-tipped stamen. There are 4 yellow-green bracts under the flower. One plant may have numerous clusters.
Leaves and stem:: Leaves become progressively smaller as they ascend the stem. Near the base of the plant they are deeply lobed with a large rounded lobe at the end and 1 to 4 pairs of small rounded lobes on the stalk. Basal leaves are up to 6 inches long and 2½ inches wide; the edges are often somewhat wavy. At the top of the plant leaves may be unlobed, and more oval shaped or shallowly lobed with little or no leaf stem. The upper surface of all leaves is dark green and glossy. Attachment is alternate. The main stem is ridged or angled, purplish or green with purple streaks or stripes.
Fruit:: Fruits are thin green pods about 1 inch long that form all along the stem below the flower heads. They look like stems that have been cut off. The pods hold numerous tiny brown seeds.
Notes:: Garden Yellow Rocket can be invasive and is on the noxious weed list for Minnesota. It tends to form colonies, but scattered plants are common as well.