Garlic mustard is a rapidly growing edible, herbaceous biennial plant in the mustard family (Brassicaceae). It is native to Europe, Africa and western and central Asia and was introduced to North America as a culinary herb in 1860. Crushed leaves smell like garlic. It is now an invasive species in North Carolina and many other states. It is often found in damp hedgerows, edges of woods and other shady places in the wild. In the first year of growth, the plant forms clumps of round to heart-shaped leaves. The following year it flowers in the spring and sets seed. A single plant can produce hundreds of seeds, which scatter as much as several feet from the parent plant. The plant also spreads by rhizome and division. Garlic mustard tends to crowd out native wildflowers that bloom in spring time. Controls include hand pulling the root out of the ground and spraying the foliage with an herbicide. Cut the flowering stalks down before they bloom to minimize spread by seed. This may need to be done more than once during the year. Dispose of plants by placing them in plastic bags for trash or burning them. Avoid composting. Please choose a native plant instead. Alternatives and plants that fill a similar niche—shady ground covers, for example—are listed to the left. Diseases, Insect Pests and Other Plant Problems: Listed as invasive by the NC Invasive Plant Council.
Curated pairwise relationships between this plant and others in the library — who feeds
whom, who competes, who confuses the pests. Green reads as a good pairing, red as one to avoid.
No curated interactions recorded for this species yet.
Also noted by NC State
Related species the NC State Plant Toolbox flags for this plant — look-alikes to tell
apart, and plants that play a similar role in a planting. Ones we carry in the library are linked.
Deep shade (Less than 2 hours to no direct sunlight) | Partial Shade (Direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)
Soil texture
Clay; High Organic Matter; Loam (Silt); Sand
Soil pH
Acid (<6.0); Alkaline (>8.0); Neutral (6.0-8.0)
Soil drainage
Moist | Occasionally Wet
Growth rate
Rapid
Maintenance
High
Form & Appearance
Habit / form
Clumping
Leaf color
Green
Leaf type
Compound (Pinnately , Bipinnately, Palmately)
Leaf arrangement
Alternate; Rosulate
Leaf shape
Cordate; Orbicular
Leaf margin
Dentate; Serrate
Leaf feel
Rough
Leaf value
Edible
Leaf size
1-3 inches long, 1-3 inches wide
Hairs present
No
Leaf detail
In the first year of growth, plants form clumps of round to heart-shaped (2 inches long and wide), coarsely toothed leaves. The alternate leaves of 2nd-year plants are triangular in shape with serrated margins and 3 inches long by 2 inches wide. When the leaves are crushed, they smell like garlic.
Flower color
White
Flower form
Raceme
Flower shape
Cross
Flower size
< 1 inch
Flower detail
In the second year of growth, the upper stems terminate in narrow racemes of button-like clusters of cross shaped white flowers with four petals. While in bloom, these flowers are bunched together toward the top of the raceme. However, as the flowers mature and develop seedpods, the raceme becomes more elongated and they become more separated.
Bloom time
Spring
Fruit color
Black; Brown/Copper; Gray/Silver; Green
Fruit type
Siliqua
Fruit size
1-3 inches long, 1-3 inches wide
Fruit detail
The fruit is a four-sided elongated pod (1 1/2 to 2 inches long). It starts out green and matures to gray-brown. Inside are two rows of shiny black seeds which are released when the pod splits open mid-summer. A single plant can produce hundreds of seeds, which scatter as much as several feet from the parent plant. This plant often forms colonies by reseeding itself.
Stem detail
The stems of 2nd year plants are occasionally hairy, otherwise they are glabrous like the blades of the leaves.
Wildlife & Ecology
Native status
Non-native
Origin
Europe, western and central Asia, and Africa
Wildlife value
Attracts wildlife
Attracts
Bees; Butterflies; Moths
Food & Medicine
Edible parts
Leaves; Roots; Seeds
Harvest time
Summer
Fruit type
Siliqua
Edibility
All parts of the plant, are edible. The roots smell like horse radish and can be cut up and used in soups and stews. Young leaves can be chopped and used in salads, sauces or pesto. The seeds can also be saved and used to season food.