garlic mustard

Capparales > Brassicaceae > Alliaria petiolata (Bieb.) Cavara & Grande
Synonym(s): garlic-mustard, hedge garlic, sauce-alone, jack-by-the hedge, poor man's mustard, jack-n-the-bush, garlic root, garlicwort, mustard root
Garlic mustard is an herbaceous, biennial forb that is an aggressive invader of wooded areas throughout the eastern and middle United States. First-year plants are basal rosettes with green, heart-shaped, 1-6 in. (2.5-15.2 cm) long leaves. Second-year plants produce a 1-4 ft. (0.3-1.2 m) tall flowering stalk with small, white flowers in the early spring. Plants can be easily recognized by a garlic odor that is present when any part of the plant is crushed and by the strongly toothed, triangular leaves. A high shade tolerance allows this plant to invade high-quality, mature woodlands, where it can form dense stands. These stands not only shade out native understory flora but also produce allelopathic compounds that inhibit seed germination of other species. Garlic mustard is native to Europe and was first introduced into New England during the 1800s for medicinal and culinary purposes.

Identification, Biology, Control and Management Resources

  • Pest Alert - USDA Forest Service
    http://www.forestpests.org/acrobat/garlic.pdf -
  • Weed of the Week - USDA Forest Service
    http://www.na.fs.fed.us/fhp/invasive_plants/weeds/garlic_mustard.pdf - Nov 7, 2006

Selected Images

View All Images

Number:1330037
Description: Foliage;

1st-year basal rosette. Clayton County, IA

Photographer:Chris Evans, River to River CWMA
 Additional Resolutions and Image Usage
 
Number:0580063
Description: Foliage;

first year leaves

Photographer:Jil M. Swearingen, USDI National Park Service
 Additional Resolutions and Image Usage
 
Number:1196039
Description: Plant(s); 1st year rosette
Photographer:Tom Heutte, USDA Forest Service
 Additional Resolutions and Image Usage
 
Number:1330038
Description: Infestation; 1st-year basal rosettes. Clayton County, IA
Photographer:Chris Evans, River to River CWMA
 Additional Resolutions and Image Usage
 
Number:1378077
Description: Foliage;
Photographer:Chris Evans, River to River CWMA
 Additional Resolutions and Image Usage
 
Number:1330036
Description: Feature(s); S-shaped crook at base of plant helps to distinguish this species. Martin County, KY
Photographer:Chris Evans, River to River CWMA
 Additional Resolutions and Image Usage
 
Number:1378086
Description: Flower(s);
Photographer:Chris Evans, River to River CWMA
 Additional Resolutions and Image Usage
 
Number:2146038
Description: Plant(s);

in flower

Photographer:David Cappaert, Michigan State University
 Additional Resolutions and Image Usage
 
Number:1378081
Description: Plant(s);

in flower

Photographer:Chris Evans, River to River CWMA
 Additional Resolutions and Image Usage
 
Number:1380161
Description: Plant(s);

in flower

Photographer:Chris Evans, River to River CWMA
 Additional Resolutions and Image Usage
 
Number:1378076
Description: Plant(s);

in flower

Photographer:Chris Evans, River to River CWMA
 Additional Resolutions and Image Usage
 
Number:1330041
Description: Fruit(s);

Long,thin, upright seed pods (siliques). Martin County, KY

Photographer:Chris Evans, River to River CWMA
 Additional Resolutions and Image Usage
 
Number:1380152
Description: Plant(s);
Photographer:Chris Evans, River to River CWMA
 Additional Resolutions and Image Usage
 
Number:1380151
Description: Infestation;
Photographer:Chris Evans, River to River CWMA
 Additional Resolutions and Image Usage
 
Number:2308081
Description: Infestation; Understory incursion
Photographer:Leslie J. Mehrhoff, University of Connecticut
 Additional Resolutions and Image Usage
 
Number:5270003
Description: Infestation;
Photographer:Leslie J. Mehrhoff, University of Connecticut
 Additional Resolutions and Image Usage
 
Number:2132001
Description: Control; Before control. Part of a before/after volunteer hand-pull control series. See image #2131100 for after image
Photographer:Chris Evans, River to River CWMA
 Additional Resolutions and Image Usage
 
Number:2131100
Description: Control; After control. Part of a before/after volunteer hand-pull control series. See image #2132001 for before image
Photographer:Chris Evans, River to River CWMA
 Additional Resolutions and Image Usage
 
Number:5306060
Description: Seed(s);
Photographer:Steve Hurst, USDA NRCS PLANTS Database
 Additional Resolutions and Image Usage
 
Number:5306056
Description: Diagram or Graphic; Britton, N.L., and A. Brown. 1913. Illustrated flora of the northern states and Canada. Vol. 2: 170.
Photographer:USDA PLANTS Database, USDA NRCS PLANTS Database
 Additional Resolutions and Image Usage
 

External Links

Invasive Reference(s)

Subject Reference(s)

  • USDA, NRCS. 2001. The PLANTS Database, Version 3.1, National Plant Data Center, Baton Rouge, LA 70874-4490 USA. - http://plants.usda.gov/