Anyone ever had an infestation of acres of these yellow plants?
They seem to be taking over my otherwise barren dry hillsides:
The plant has a strange-looking stalk:
And very low-lying leaves:
The climate is San Francisco bay area, very dry, poor Franciscan sediment soil, and lots and lots and lots of sunlight.
At first I thought it was kin to mustard, but then I got to searching and it kind of looks like this: Broom Snakeweed
It looks like mustard to me. Wild mustard is found extensively in California, turning the hills near my house bright yellow in the spring.
You better watch out for deranged wild ketchup plants too! o_O
TDD
On 6/23/2013 6:01 PM, David E. Ross wrote: ...
Not at all like what we know of as wild mustard, anyways...
Wild mustard.
Here are some really spectacular pictures from the SF area back in March:
It looks very much like a member of the mustard family. Maybe Wintercress aka Barbarea. Count the petals on the flower. If there are Four petals on each flower, it is a mustard.
Emilie NorCal
And on my mobile device the link you posted returns a message that says "The content owner has not made this video available on mobile"
I guess we're pretty much even. ;-)
I just got home and saw those pictures of the 4-petaled mustard plants in the San Francisco bay area. Those pictures are much more lush than mine - but I'll try to snap a closeup of the flower in the morning and compare.
I'll report back what I find in comparison to the net on the "wild mustard".
BTW, if it is wild mustard, might I be able to make mustard out of it? (I'll check - but I figured I'd ask also.)
This description seems apropos:
Clearly there are yellow flowers atop a stem.
I'll look in the morning to see if they're in groups of 4 petals. And, I'll look closer to see if they're not veined.
I didn't see any broccoli-like florets; but the leaves did radiate in a rosette.
Apparently I can cook and eat the leaves, and I can make a mustard spread out of the flower petals.
According to this article, it was brought to the Americas in the 1700s:
Apparently all parts of the plant are edible.
This article points out that the hairs on the stem make it "wild mustard":
I'll look for 4 long stamens and 2 short stamens and 1 pistil on the flowers:
It would be helpful to see a closeup of the flowers, Danny. June seems awfully late for wild mustard here. As you say, it usually looks lusher, and I don't usually notice it after about March or early April.
Patty
The condiment is made from ground or crushed mustard seeds.
I'm pretty sure that plant isn't poke salad.
Have you ever eaten it cooked? My grandma used to cook it for us all the time and taught me how. You pull the leaves off the plant .. medium to smaller leaves are more tender, and then you boil them like you would spinach leaves 'til they are tender. After that you drain the boiled leaves and squeeze all the water out of the leaves you can get to come out of them. Next you add some oil to a frying pan, and break up the boiled leaves into the hot grease. Break 2 or 3 fresh eggs over the poke in the hot grease and stir fry the eggs with the poke. Add a bit of salt to taste while it's cooking. MMMMMMMmmm!!
We've a new weed infestation this year here in northern NJ. I have assumed it came in with Superstorm Sandy last fall, as it is ubiquitous this spring/summer and I have never seen it before, or surely never did in any great numbers such that it made an impression on me.
Anyway, check out field hawkweed photos and see if they match. That is what seems to be all over the sides of the roads here now.
Boron
I couldn't find any seeds ... but I ate a dozen of the florets (flower petals and all), which tasted surprisingly much like broccoli ...
If I never post ever again, please report *this* to the police!
Thanks for the assistance.
I didn't know what the seeds looked like, but I could easily see the green central florets, unveined yellow flower petals and what looks like six stamens (four tall, and two short) surrounding the one pistil as men surround a pretty lady at a bar:
I couldn't locate the mustard seed pods.
Where should I be looking for them?
I think you're right (at least I hope you are, as I tasted a few florets today, and they tasted much like broccoli).
I just can't seem to find the mustard seeds though ... :(
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