• African Mustard Plant 215x150

Category B Weed

Mustard family (Brassicaceae)

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African mustard (Brassica tournefortii)

    Stem

    • Up to 3 ft. tall and branched; upper stem lacks hair (glabrous); lower stem covered with stiff, sownward pointing hairs

      Leaves

      • Rosette leaves up to 12 in. long and pinnate-divided with 6-14 pairs of leaflets; edges (margins) are toothed

      • Stems have very few leaves; typically small and oval to strap-like (linear) with toothed to lobed edges

        Flower

        • Small (less than 0.6 in. wide) and yellow with four petals

        • Seed pods are round, slender and 1.5-2.5 in. long; the end tapers to a point; contain numerous round seeds; pod constricts around seeds (appears beaded)

          Root

          • Deep, slender taproot

            Other

            • Grows best in sites with dry, sandy soils and sparse vegetation; often infests roadsides, waste areas, washes and desert areas; known to occur in Clark, Lincoln and Nye counties

            • Annual; reproduces by seed

            • Also known as Sahara mustard

              Control

              • Repeated hand-removal can be effective; disturbances such as fire, tillage and grazing often promote mustard growth

              • Apply glyphosate, 2,4-D or triclopyr to actively growing plants before flowering