Garlic Mustard
Garlic Mustard by path
Flowers and upper leaves
Close-up of flowerhead with forming pods
Young pods
Mature pods
Leaves in early March
Orange-tip butterfly on Garlic Mustard
Alliaria petiolata
Brassicaceae
Jack-by-the-hedge, Hedge Garlic.
April to June, and sometimes in the autumn
It is found throughout the country.
See the BSBI distribution map for Garlic Mustard
It is a characteristic spring plant.
It is very common and is found in hedges alongside paths,
tracks and roads, by rivers and streams, in woodland and
on waste land.
Garlic Mustard is a native, patch-forming, biennial herb
growing up to 1m.
The round leaves in late February and March are welcome
harbingers of spring.
The leaves also carpet the ground by hedges in late
summer and in autumn, especially after hedge and
verge cutting.
The flowers are white, 4-7mm across with 4 petals.
Although it self-pollinates, insects, particularly
orange-tip butterflies, are attracted to the flowers.
Stem leaves are bright green, heart-shaped and toothed.
They smell of garlic when crushed.
The pods are cylindical and stand out, like dead tree
branches, through the summer.
Previous page: Garden Radish
Next page: Germander Speedwell
Garlic Mustard by path
Flowers and upper leaves
Close-up of flowerhead with forming pods
Young pods
Mature pods
Leaves in early March
Orange-tip butterfly on Garlic Mustard
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