Dog mustard.
Stems & Roots: Stems erect, 10-60cm
(4-24in.) high, lower part with short, downward-pointing hairs.
Leaves: Alternate (1 per node), often
in a dense rosette in late autumn and early spring, dark green to
blackish-green, oblong in general outline, pinnately cut or divided
into coarsely lobed segments, the bottoms of the spaces between
segments more or less rounded.
Flowers & Fruit: Flowers similar
to Wild
mustard but pale yellow, the lowermost several flowers and pods
of each raceme in axils of small leaves; seedpods 2-5cm (4/5-2in.)
long, with a narrow beak about 3mm (1/8in.) long, on slender stalks,
pointing outwards and upwards; seeds oval, reddish-brown, about
1.2mm (1/20in.). Flowers from late May to late fall.
Habitat: Dog mustard occurs throughout
Ontario but is more common in the south. It is frequently found
around railway yards, waste places, orchards, gardens, roadsides
and occasionally in grainfields.
Similar Species: It is distinguished
from most other plants of the Mustard Family in Ontario by having
several of its lowermost flowers and seedpods in the axils of small
leaves. Only Garlic mustard also has this characteristic. Rosettes
of young plants resemble Tumble mustard but Dog mustard leaves are
usually darker in colour, the segments are broader and more coarsely
lobed, and the tips of the lobes are usually rounded in Dog mustard
but somewhat sharp-pointed in Tumble mustard.
