Figure 18.— Black mustard (Brassica nigra)

Synonym

Sinapis nigra L.

Other Common Names

Red mustard, brown mustard, cadlock, kerlock, senvre, scurvy.

Habitat And Range

Black mustard was introduced from Europe and is a common weed in cultivated ground and waste places almost throughout the United States, being especially troublesome in grainfields and pastures. It is cultivated in California.

Description

Black mustard grows from 2 to 6 feet high. The leaves and lower portion of the stems are covered with bristly hairs. The small, bright-yellow flowers are produced from June to September in racemes at the ends of the stems, followed by erect pods crowded against them in dense clusters. These pods when ripe contain numerous small and roundish, blackish or reddish brown seeds.

Part Used

The seed, which is collected in the same way as white-mustard seed