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Edible parts
- Leaves and young stem tips
Recognition
- Grows in and alongside flowing water
- Round, glossy leaflets in feathery arrangement
- Small white flowers (4 petals)
- Strong, peppery scent when bruised
- Hollow stems rooting in water
Preparation tips
- Only pick from clean, running water
- Blanching recommended (liver fluke risk)
- Soup, salad, pesto sauce
- Peppery taste — used as rocket alternative
Dangerous lookalikes
- Fool's Watercress (Apium nodiflorum) — closely resembles watercress, TOXIC
- Difference: watercress has peppery scent, fool's does not
- NEVER pick from stagnant or polluted water
Medicinal use
- Rich in vitamins C, A, K, iron
- Traditionally used for anaemia
Never eat a plant you can't identify with certainty. If in doubt, leave it.
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