Indian mustard

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Indian mustard

Indian mustard

Indian mustard silique

Indian mustard leaf

Indian mustard

Morphology

Stem

Erect, simple or branched above, glabrous, glaucous.

Leaves

Alternate, simple, glabrous, glaucous; basal leaves 4 to 8 inches long, deeply lobed, on stalks; margins with coarse or rounded teeth directed outward; upper leaves progressively smaller, lanceolate to oblong, sessile or on short stalks; margins with short teeth or entire.

Inflorescence

Racemes, long, terminal, on slender, spreading stalks.

Flower

Yellow, about .5 inch across; petals 4, sepals 4.

Fruit

Pod, long, narrow, 1 to 3 inches long, several-seeded, ascending or spreading, prominent nerve on each valve, beak conical, less than one quarter length of body.

Ecology

Habitat

Waste areas, roadsides, gardens, and cultivated fields.

Distribution

Principally in the east half of Kansas.

Practical Information

Toxicity

The seeds can be toxic to livestock.

Forage Value

Deer will consume the foilage.

Uses

Early pioneers are said to have eaten the young shoots after boiling them.

Additional Notes