Family
Brassicaceae
Common Name
Wild mustard
Regulation
Secondary Noxious, Class 3 in the Canadian Weed Seeds Order, 2016 under the Seeds Act.
Distribution
Canadian: Occurs throughout Canada except in NU (Brouillet et al. 2016Footnote 1).
Worldwide: Native to northern Africa, Europe and temperate Asia and introduced in North and South America, southern Africa, Japan, Australia and New Zealand (USDA-ARS 2016Footnote 2). Widespread in the United States (USDA-NRCS 2016Footnote 3).
Duration of life cycle
Annual
Seed or fruit type
Seed
Identification features
Size
- Seed diameter: 1.0 - 2.0 mm
Shape
- Globose, often slightly compressed at hilum
Surface Texture
- Seed dull surface with thin reticulations that tend to radiate from the hilum
Colour
- Seed usually black, can also be reddish-brown, brown or greenish-brown
Other Features
- Hilum appears as a small wart and short line of white tissue
- A small, round dark area associated with the hilum can be seen in some light-coloured seeds
Habitat and Crop Association
Cultivated fields, fallow fields, gardens, clearings, orchards, shores, riverbanks, roadsides, railway lines and disturbed areas (Warwick et al. 2000Footnote 4, Darbyshire 2003Footnote 5). A serious weed of field crops in the Canadian prairies, especially in canola (Royer and Dickinson 1999Footnote 6, Warwick et al. 2000Footnote 4).
General Information
Wild mustard was documented in crops in New York State as early as 1748 and had reached Nova Scotia by 1829 (Mulligan and Bailey 1975Footnote 7). Individual plants are capable of producing 2,000 to 3,500 seeds and can remain viable in soil for up to 60 years (Warwick et al. 2000Footnote 4). Both the seeds and leaves of this plant contain glucosinolates that are capable of causing severe illness in livestock (Warwick et al. 2000Footnote 4).
Similar species
Argentine rapeseed (Brassica napus subsp. napus)
- Argentine canola seeds are a similar size, globose shape, dark colour and fine reticulate surface pattern.
- Argentine canola has a minutely stippled surface with a 'sparkling' look that wild mustard lacks.
- Argentine canola also tends to have an angular outline and a darker D-shaped area around the hilum, while wild mustard is round and lacks a dark area around the hilum.
Photos
Similar species
