variableleaf yellowcress; Rorippa indica
A common weed in the mustard family, found in fields and roadsides in Japan. The name literally means 'dog mustard', implying it is a false or inferior mustard.
A lot of variableleaf yellowcress is growing by the roadside.
Variableleaf yellowcress blooms small yellow flowers in spring.
カラシ (mustard) is the cultivated plant used for condiments, while イヌガラシ is a wild, weedy relative not used for food.
タネツケバナ (Cardamine scutata) is another small white-flowered mustard-family weed, often confused with イヌガラシ when not in bloom.
Katakana spelling is common for plant names and is the usual written form for this word.
Kanji form using 芥 (mustard/weed). Rarely used; the plant is normally written in kana.
Kanji form using 辛子 (mustard). Rarely used; the plant is normally written in kana.
Compound of 犬 (inu, 'dog') and 芥子/辛子 (garashi, 'mustard'). The 'dog' prefix often indicates a false or inferior version of something, so the name means 'false mustard' or 'wild mustard'.