Garlic Mustard (Alliaria petiolata)
A plant that flowers the second year. Young leaves taste of both garlic and mustard giving the english name. The seeds are one of the earliest known spices dating back to 4000BCE. This species has been introduced to North America by earlier settlers.
Common Names
| 🇨🇦 | Garlic Mustard |
| 🇫🇷 | Herbe à ail |
| 🇩🇪 | Knoblauchsrauke |
| 🇲🇽 | Hierba del ajo |
Taxonomy
| Order | Brassicales |
| Family | Brassicaceae |
Flowers
| Color | white |
| Shape | stellate |
| Inflorescence | raceme |
Leaves
| Arrangement | alternate |
| Petiole | long |
| Shape | cordate |
| Margin | dentate |
| Venation | pinnate |
How to Identify
When flowering, the plant is grown high and thin. Identified by its color white and the small four symmetrical petals of the flower, bundled together with other flowers.
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Where and When to Spot
I usually see this flower in forests forming large patches.
Flowering Records by Park and Season
| Location | Spring | Summer | Autumn | Winter |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Belvédère Outremont | x | - | - | - |
| Parc Nature Pointe aux Prairies | x | - | - | - |
| Parc Île-de-la-Visitation | x | - | - | - |
"x" indicates that the species was observed flowering, while "-" indicates no observation. The absence of observation doesn't necessarily imply that the species was not flowering. Data is derived from our park visit journals.