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.
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'.