Quick Removal Tips Look-Alikes Technique Biology Notes of Interest Garlic Mustard Recipe

GARLIC MUSTARD Alliaria petiolata Identification

Garlic mustard has small white flowers and heart-shaped, toothed leaves. Young crushed leaves smell like garlic or onion.

The native spring plants that garlic mustard can push out include spring beauty, trout lily, jack-in-the-pulpit, violets, and golden ragwort. The mustard "aggressively monopolizes light, moisture, nutrients, soil and space. Wildlife that depends on these early plants for their foliage, pollen, nectar, fruits, seeds and roots, are deprived of these essential food sources when garlic mustard replaces them."
( www.nps.gov/plants/alien/fact/alpe1.htm).

The Nature Conservancy website describes the situation we see in Sligo:

"Garlic Mustard is frequently overlooked at low density levels." Eventually it may explode and "once it reaches this level of abundance control is difficult to achieve."

Close-up. Long green seed pods are forming under the flowers.

As new flowers form at the end, old flowers go to seed.

A patch of garlic mustard

A spread of garlic mustard in the park along Colesville Road

Plants yellow and die in midsummer. Skeleton stalks remain,
revealing the plant's presence to a newcomer in fall and winter.

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