Alliaria petiolata

garlic mustard, hedge garlic, Jack-by-the-edge

Family: Brassicaceae · Type: Dicot (Herb)

Conservation status: Cal-IPC Yes

Garlic mustard is a naturalized biennial herb found in disturbed areas, roadsides, and forest edges across much of northern California and the coastal ranges at elevations near sea level to 500 meters. Flowering from April to June, this plant produces small white flowers approximately 6 to 8 millimeters wide with four distinctive petals arranged in cross-like clusters. Growing 30 to 100 centimeters tall with slender, upright branching stems that are pubescent and light green, it develops multiple stems from a single taproot. Its alternate leaves are broadly triangular to heart-shaped, 3 to 10 centimeters long, with coarsely toothed edges and a distinctive garlic-like odor when crushed. When mature, the plant produces slender, elongated seed pods (siliques) that spread seeds widely, contributing to its successful invasion of disturbed habitats.

Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Jepson eFlora, Cal-IPC, and more.