Gambel's Watercress

Location:
There is only one place where this species is known to be wild, Vandenberg Air Force
Base. They can be found in open or semi-shaded spots along the shores of
permanent, slow-moving streams and at the shores of freshwater marshes or
lakes. The typical soil they are growing in is sandy, saturated, and with a high
organic content.
Physical Description:
It can grown up to six feet tall . It produces a bunch of white flowers that bloom
between April to June and on occasions through August and October.
Threats:
The threats that the Gambels Watercress are facing are loss of suitable wetland
habitat loss of water (droughts), land development for civilization, and
cross-breeding with other species (hybridization). Also, if there are too much
nutrients (fertilizer from near by fields) in the water would result in many plants
such as cattails, bulrush, and willows will start growing. The effect would be that the
Gambel's Watercress would not get enough water and it wouldn't have enough
room to grow. This is causing a decline in the quantity and quality of habitat for
Gambels water cress. This species is also very vulnerable to extinction from random
natural events.
Characteristics:
The Gambels Watercress has the same parts as any other flower has. The peduncle,
xylem, pollen, stamen, pistil, and others.
Flower Part Form and Function
Peduncle Flower stalk.
Receptacle The base of the flower
Sepal Leaf-like structures at flower base, protects young flower
bud.
Calyx All the sepals together form the calyx.
Petal Located in and above the sepals, often large and colourful,
sometimes scented, sometimes producing nectar. To serve
attract pollinators to the plant.
Corolla All the petals together form the corolla.
Stamen Male part of the flower, consisting of the anther and
filament, makes pollen grains.
Filament The stalk of the stamen which holds the anther.
Anther The pollen on the end of the filament.
Pollen Grains containing the male gametes.
Carpel\Pistil Female part of the flower. Consisting of the stigma, style
and ovary.
Stigma Often sticky top of carpel, serves as a receptive surface
for pollen grains.
Style The stalk of a carpel, between the stigma and the ovary,
through which the pollen tube grows.
Ovary Enlarged base of the carpel containing the ovule or ovules.
The ovary matures to become a fruit.
Ovule Located in the ovaries. Carries female gametes. Ovules
become seeds on fertilization.
Reproduction:
Reproduction in the Gambels Watercress is the same process with other
flowers. This is when the pollen from an anther is transferred to the stigma. The
pollen is transferred to plant to plant by pollinators for example, bees or humming
birds. Their coverings catch on to the pollen and when they go to another plant,
maybe the same species or different the pollen that is on the pollinator drops.
Plants can fertilize themselves: called self-fertilization. Self-fertilization occurs
when the pollen from an anther fertilizes the eggs on the same flower.
Cross-fertilization occurs when the pollen is transferred to the stigma of an
entirely different plant.
When the ovules are fertilized, they will develop into seeds. The petals of the
flower fall off leaving only the ovary behind, which will develop into a fruit or another
plant.
Interesting fact: When you eat a fruit, you are actually eating the
ovary of the flower.