Key identifying traits
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Leaves
are waxy and have wavy or coarsely toothed margins
-
Flowers are a pale purple color
and have 4 petals
-
Grows 6-18” tall and is somewhat
spreading
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Gives off a bad odor and if
eaten by dairy animals can produce an off-flavor milk
-
Seed pods have a long “beak” and
split across instead of lengthwise as is usual in the mustards
Biology and ecology
-
An annual plant spreading only by
seed
-
One of the earliest spring flowering
plants
-
This plant is a native of Russia and
southwest Asia
-
Grows in waste areas and
cultivated crops; often a problem in grain crops reducing yields
Control
Prevention –
Learn to identify plants; start monitoring and plan for control
early in the season
Biological –
No known biological control in our area
Cultural –
Plant competitive grass or other cover crop using certified weed
free seed
Mechanical –
Preventing seed production by cutting early or tilling soil before
the plants flower will greatly reduce the amount of seeds in the
soil
Chemical – Waxy leaves make it
difficult for herbicides to penetrate, use of a surfactant is highly
recommended, mustards are resistant to quite a few of the frequently
used herbicides: the
PNW Weed Management handbook has some limited information on
controlling mustards.
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