Last year we spotted the very nasty Sahara Mustard (Brassica tournefortii) in the Foothill Blvd parkway at the BFS. We have been keeping our eyes out for any that might spring up this year, but we almost overlooked them. Instead of being large plants with a typical open bushy appearance, this year’s Sahara Mustard plants are unbranched, spindly, and very small.
Brassica tournefortii plants. ©Nancy Hamlett.
Nontheless they could be recognized as Sahara Mustard by the pale yellow flowers…
Brassica tournefortii flower. ©Nancy Hamlett.
…hairy leaves and stems…
Brassica tournefortii leaves. ©Nancy Hamlett.
…and especially the long beaked fruits (“siliques”) borne on pedicels.
Fruits (siliques) of Brassica tournefortii. ©Nancy Hamlett.
Although last year’s Sahara Mustard plants were confined to the parkway outside the BFS fence, we found some this year inside the fence. Their sticky seeds would appear to have been tracked in through the pedestrian gate, where they were hard to spot among the grass.
Brassica tournefortti growing among grass just inside the pedestrian gate. ©Nancy Hamlett.
On Saturday, February 16, a crew of volunteers removed all the Sahara Mustard they could find, although finding them wasn’t easy. Some of these sneaky little plants were flowering and bearing fruit when they were no more than two inches tall.
A two-inch flowering plant of Brassica tournefortii. ©Nancy Hamlett.
Even though the plants were small, the volunteers pulled enough of them to nearly fill a large garbage can!
A garbage can full of Brassica tournefortii! ©Nancy Hamlett.
Thanks to all the volunteers for a great job! We will clearly we need to keep an eye on this invasive mustard in the future.