Water Cress; Xi Yang Cai; Selada-Ayer, (M); sai-yong-choi, (C);
Sai-Yong choi, (C); Sai-Eng-Chai, (H). Nasturtium officinale R. Br. (Cruciferae)
(Rorippa nasturtium-aquaticum (L.) Hayek)
A much branched, leafy aquatic perennial herb. Stems are procumbent and root freely at nodes below. Leaves are lyrate-pinnate with 3-9 leaflets. It is more luxuriant and fleshy when grown in 12-15 cm deep swampy ground.
Origin
Herklots (1972) wrote that it was not cultivated in the London district until early in the nineteenth century. It grew wild in the Himalayas in Nepal at 2000 metres but did not appear to be gathered there for food. It became a serious riverweed in New Zealand and North America choking waterways. It was introduced into tropical Asia more than a century ago.
Uses
Water cress is cultivated in Europe and North America where the tips of the leafy stems are eaten as salad. In South East Asia, it is a vegetable always cooked in soup before consumption.
