''Sisymbrium loeselii'' is a species of flowering plant in the family

Brassicaceae Brassicaceae () or (the older) Cruciferae () is a medium-sized and economically important family of flowering plants commonly known as the mustards, the crucifers, or the cabbage family. Most are herbaceous plants, while some are shrubs. The leav ...

known by several common names, including small tumbleweed mustard, false London-rocket, throughe(ver:kashmiri) and tall hedge mustard. It is native to Eurasia, and it is known on other continents as an

introduced species An introduced species, alien species, exotic species, adventive species, immigrant species, foreign species, non-indigenous species, or non-native species is a species living outside its native distributional range, but which has arrived ther ...

and in some areas a common roadside

weed A weed is a plant considered undesirable in a particular situation, "a plant in the wrong place", or a plant growing where it is not wanted.Harlan, J. R., & deWet, J. M. (1965). Some thoughts about weeds. ''Economic botany'', ''19''(1), 16-24. ...

. It is an annual herb producing a hairy, erect stem which can exceed a meter in height. The leaf blades are divided into triangular, lance-shaped, and toothed linear lobes, and are borne on petioles. The top of the stem is occupied by a raceme of flowers with bright yellow petals each measuring just under a centimeter long. The fruit is a

silique A silique or siliqua (plural ''siliques'' or ''siliquae'') is a type of fruit (seed capsule) having two fused carpels with the length being more than three times the width. When the length is less than three times the width of the dried fruit i ...

up to 3.5 centimeters in length containing tiny seeds. This plant is allelopathic against other species growing around it. It produces chemicals that inhibit the germination of seeds of other species, including

bluebunch wheatgrass ''Pseudoroegneria spicata'' is a species of grass known by the common name bluebunch wheatgrass. This native western North American perennial bunchgrass is also known by the scientific synonyms ''Elymus spicatus'' and ''Agropyron spicatum''. The g ...

(''Pseudoroegneria spicata'') and

Idaho fescue ''Festuca idahoensis'' is a species of grass known by the common names Idaho fescue and blue bunchgrass. It is native to western North America, where it is widespread and common. It can be found in many ecosystems, from shady forests to open plai ...

(''Festuca idahoensis'').Bainard, L. D., et al. (2009). Inhibitory effect of tall hedge mustard (''Sisymbrium loeselii'') allelochemicals on rangeland plants and arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi. ''Weed Science'' 57(4):386-393. It also inhibits

arbuscular mycorrhiza An arbuscular mycorrhiza (AM) (plural ''mycorrhizae'', a.k.a. ''endomycorrhiza'') is a type of mycorrhiza in which the symbiont fungus (''AM fungi'', or AMF) penetrates the cortical cells of the roots of a vascular plant forming arbuscules. ( ...

l fungus species, such as ''

Glomus intraradices ''Rhizophagus irregularis'' (previously known as ''Glomus intraradices'') is an arbuscular mycorrhizal fungus used as a soil inoculant in agriculture and horticulture. ''Rhizophagus irregularis'' is also commonly used in scientific studies of the ...

''.

Uses

The leaves are spicy enough to make

wasabi Wasabi ( Japanese: , , or , ; ''Eutrema japonicum'' or ''Wasabia japonica'') or Japanese horseradish is a plant of the family Brassicaceae, which also includes horseradish and mustard in other genera. The plant is native to Japan and the Russi ...

but can also be mixed into salads and other dishes.

References

External links

Jepson Manual TreatmentWashington Burke Museum
loeselii {{Brassicales-stub Leaf vegetables