Watercress
Nasturtium officinale W.T.Aiton
Watercress (Nasturtium officinale) is an aquatic mustard-family vegetable of streams; glossy pinnate leaves with a mild peppery bite, eaten raw or cooked; rich in vitamins C and K, calcium and iron — a familiar nutritious green.
No ratings yet — be the first!
Gallery
Watercress — Fresh bunchWatercress — Plant
Watercress — Leaves
Watercress — Flowers
Watercress — Flower & buds close-up
Watercress — Plants by the waterWatercress — Fresh bunchWatercress — PlantLife cycle
From seed to productPlant
Creeping herb growing by water.
Leaves
Glossy pinnate leaves, mildly peppery.
Flowers
White four-petalled flowers in clusters.
Fresh vegetable
Fresh watercress for eating raw or in soups.
Distribution & origin
Share of recorded occurrences by region- Temperate Europe & Eurasia (native)30%
- Widely grown in Europe25%
- North America (naturalized)15%
- East Asia (China, Vietnam, Japan)15%
- Other regions (Australia, South America)15%
Chemical composition
Relative content in agarwood resin- Water94%
- Carbohydrates2%
- Protein2%
- Fibre1%
- Minerals & vitamins (C, K, A, calcium, iron)0.8%
- Other substances0.2%
Uses
- Food: eaten raw in salads, wrapped in rice-paper rolls, or cooked in soups, stir-fries and broths; mildly peppery — a popular green in Europe and East Asia
- Nutrition: abundant vitamins C, K, A, folate, calcium, iron and iodine; 100 g covers most of the daily vitamin K need
- Folk medicine: aids digestion, cools the liver, diuretic and blood-nourishing; used for vitamin and calcium deficiency and mild anaemia
- Environment & cultivation: grown in flowing water beds and hydroponics; sensitive to water quality, used as a bioindicator of clean water
Properties
- Form
- Aquatic creeping vegetable
- Taste
- Mildly peppery, aromatic
- Nutrition
- High in vitamins C, K, iron, iodine
- Use
- Raw, soups, stir-fry
Habitat & conservation
Watercress is native to Europe and temperate Eurasia, growing naturally along streams, flowing springs and clean ditches; it is now grown worldwide in flowing water beds or hydroponically. It likes cool, clean, mineral-rich water and tolerates cold well. In Vietnam it is grown widely around Da Lat and other cool-stream regions, eaten raw, cooked in soups, and used as a nutritious daily green.
Conservation
A species cultivated and naturalized worldwide, not yet assessed by IUCN (NE). Mustard family (Brassicaceae), genus Nasturtium.
References
- 1Plants of the World Online — Nasturtium officinale W.T.Aiton — Kew Science, 2026
- 2Watercress — mô tả, trồng trọt, dinh dưỡng — Wikipedia tiếng Anh, 2026
- 3Cải xoong — đặc điểm, công dụng — Wikipedia tiếng Việt, 2026
- 4西洋菜 Nasturtium officinale — 形態、栽培 — Wikipedia tiếng Trung, 2026
- 5Nguồn ảnh: Krzysztof Ziarnek, Kenraiz (CC BY-SA 4.0) / SarKaLay (CC BY-SA 4.0) — Wikimedia Commons,
- 6Nguồn ảnh: Zeynel Cebeci (CC BY-SA 3.0) / Fukufukurou (CC BY-SA 4.0) / SAplants (CC BY-SA 4.0) / Masparasol (CC BY 3.0) — Wikimedia Commons,