Black Mustard
Mutarda nigra
When its tissues are damaged, an enzyme reacts to produce allyl isothiocyanate, the compound responsible for the signature burning sensation of table mustard.
- Scientific name
- Mutarda nigra
- Taxonomy
- Plantae › Tracheophyta › Magnoliopsida › Brassicales › Brassicaceae › Mutarda
- IUCN Red List status
- Least Concern
- Population trend
- increasing
- Biome
- grassland
- Habitat
- Disturbed soils, agricultural fields, roadsides, and open grasslands.
- Diet
- Autotrophic (photosynthesis via sunlight, water, and soil nutrients).
- Range
- Europe, North Africa, Temperate Asia, North America
- Size
- 0.5 to 2.4 meters tall
- Lifespan
- 1 year (annual)
- Active
- diurnal
- Threats
- Intensive herbicide application and extreme urbanization, though it highly adapts to human disturbance.
- Safe to approach?
- This plant is harmless to touch, though its seeds and crushed leaves contain pungent mustard oils that can cause mild skin irritation or eye watering if rubbed. It is safe to observe closely. If you harvest it, ensure the area has not been treated with chemical herbicides. Wash skin with soap and water if irritation occurs.
Rhamphospermum nigrum (syns. Brassica nigra and Sinapis nigra ), black mustard , is an annual plant cultivated for its dark-brown-to-black seeds, which are commonly used as a spice. It is native to cooler regions of North Africa, temperate regions of Europe, and parts of Asia.
Photo: Fungus Guy, CC-BY-SA, via iNaturalist
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