Erucastrum gallicum (Dog Mustard) - photos and description
Looking straight down on inflorescence.
Looking straight down on inflorescence.
Origin: Introduced.
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.
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.