Wild Mustard

Family: Mustard, Brassicaceae.

Habitat: Wasteland, roadsides, grain and other fields crops, primarily in northern Ohio.

Life cycle: Annual annual or summer annual.

Growth Habit: 1-2 feet high, branched and erect.

Leaves: Alternate, 2-7 inches long. Lower leaves have petioles and are irregularly lobed and toothed with bristly hairs; upper leaves are smaller and may not be lobed; petioles lacking or short.

Stem: Branched near top, bristly.

Flower: June – October. 1/2 inch, bright yellow, four-petal flowers borne in small terminal clusters.

Fruit: Slender, slightly curved, smooth seedpod about 1 inch long; borne on upper branches.

Similar plants: The yellow rocket looks similar but has rounded lower leaves that are more heart shaped.

Continue reading Ohio Noxious Weed Identification – Week 18 Wild Mustard →

Wild Carrot

Family: Parsley, Apiaceae.

Habitat: Dry fields, wastelands, pastures, and no-till field crops.

Life cycle: Biennial, forming a rosette the first year and producing flowers and seed in the second.

First Year Growth Habit: A basal rosette.

Second Year Growth Habit: 1-3 feet tall, branched and erect.

Leaves: Alternate, pinnately compound, finely divided and hairy.

Flowering Stem: Tall, hairy, stout, and branched.

Flower: June – October (second year). Small, lacy white 5-petaled flowers in flat-topped, umbrella shaped clusters with one dark reddish-brown flower in the center. Flower closes up and turns brown as it matures.

Root: Fleshy taproot.

Similar plants: Leaves have the appearance and odor of a garden carrot. Wild carrots taproot is not as large as the garden carrot. The plant also resembles poison hemlock (Conium maculatum). However, wild carrot has a hairy stem while poison hemlock has a smooth stem with purple blotches. The dark floret in the center of the inflorescence in second year and a distinctive carrot smell in the first year will also help distinguish this common weed.

Continue reading Ohio Noxious Weed Identification – Week 17 Wild Carrot →