Erucastrum gallicum (Dog Mustard) - photos and description

 

 

 


Looking straight down on inflorescence.


Looking straight down on inflorescence.

 

 

 

General: Annual plants with a branching growth habit. Stems with stiff, downward pointing hairs making the stems rough to touch. Lower stems may be reddish-purple.

Flowers: Flowers pale yellow in terminal clusters. We measured a flower petal at 4 mm long, and a flower at 10 mm diameter.

Leaves: Basal leaves are deeply lobed, almost to the midrib. We measured a basal leaf at 15 cm long by 55 mm wide. Cauline leaves are alternate. Bottom and top of leaves are sparingly hairy.

Fruit: Pods are ascending to erect, and are cylindrical in profile with a short stalk. We measured a pod at 35 mm long by 1.5 mm wide, the pod's stalk was 8 mm long.

Height: Height listed in Budd's Flora to 50 cm, we measured plants to 47 cm tall.

Habitat: Fields, roadsides, waste ground.

Abundance: Common.

Origin: Introduced.

How to identify this plant: Flowers pale yellow, flowers about 10 mm diameter, leaves deeply lobed almost to the midrib, stems rough hairy with downward pointing hairs, pods 2 to 4.5 cm long and about 1.5 mm wide (Flora of Alberta, Weeds of Canada).

When and where photographed: Photos taken July 16th, waste ground in our home city of Regina, SK.