North American Mustard Plants

Black Mustard (Brassica nigra)

• Black mustard grows 1 to 6 feet tall in fields found in all parts of the United States, southwestern Canada and Mexico. Bright yellow flowers branch out from the top of a long slender stem. The roughly lobed leaves are divided at the base and protrude from the sides of the stem until the point where the flowers branch off. Extracts from the plant's seeds are used to make the mustard condiment.

Chinese/Indian Mustard (Brassica juncea)

• The Chinese/Indian mustard originates from Northwest India and was introduced to other parts of Asia and North America. The plant is harvested in these parts of the world for its leaves to be used in salads. It grows 1 to 4 feet tall throughout North America. It has toothed, lobed leaves with a round ends. The leaves become lance shaped as they proceed up the stem. The flowers set at the top of the stem and bloom into a whitish color from June to September.

Hare's--ear mustard (Conringia orientalis)

• The hare's-ear mustard is a non-native species to North America and was believed to be brought over from Europe with mixed in with flax seeds back in the eighteen hundreds. It grows 12 to 32 inches tall in waste places and fields. It has smooth ovate leaves that hug the stem alternately. The plant blooms in June through August with pale yellow flowers atop the stem.

Hedge Mustard (Sisymbrium officinale)

• The hedge mustard was introduced from Europe and how grows throughout North America. It grows from 1 to 3 feet tall in soils with high levels of nitrogen but it will adapt to rocky and clay soils as well. The leaves are deeply lobed and toothed with leaf stems connecting the leaves to the central stem. The flowers are small and pale yellow blooming from May to October.

Field Mustard (Brassica rapa)

• Field mustard grows throughout North America. In cultivated fields and meadows the mustard grows 24 to 32 inches tall. Field mustard has greenish gray colored leaves that are ear-shaped. The single lobe of the leaves wrap around the central stem and become lanced as they reach the top of the stem. The white flowers bloom from June to October.

Tower Mustard (Arabis glabra)

• Tower mustard grows mostly in rich soiled prairies, sandy and clay soils or on dry banks. It can reach heights of four feet tall. It has arrow-shaped leaves that sprout from the central stem. The flowers are situated in a tower like formation along the top of the stem. The flowers are a pale yellow color and bloom from May through July.

Tumble Mustard (Sisymbrium altissisum)

• Tumble mustard is native to Eurasia and was believed to be anciently introduced by shipments from Eurasia. The plant can reach heights of up to 5 feet tall along roads and in waste places. The leaves narrow as the reach toward the top of the stem and look like long spikes. Toward the bottom of the plant the leaves are alternate along the stem and are look like long deeply lobed dandelion leaves. The whitish yellow flowers bloom at the top of the stem in May through August.

White Mustard (Brassica hirta)

• White mustard is believed to originate from the Mediterranean region and now grows in fields, meadows and waste places throughout North America. The seeds are harvested to be used as a spice and ground to make the mustard condiment. The plant has lobed toothed leaves that protrude from the central stem. The top of the stem has furry small pods that end in a flat horn like tip that is often longer than the seed pod. The flowers are pale yellow and bloom from June to August.