| |
 Appearance:
Biennial forb with weak single stems 12-36" high in its second
and flowering year. Only plant of this height blooming white in wooded
environments in May. Leaves:
Round, scallop-edged, dark green; first year, rosettes of 3 or 4 leaves;
second year plants have alternate stem leaves. Leaves and stems smell
like onion or garlic when crushed. Flower:
White, small and numerous, with four separate petals. Each plant has
one or two flowering stems on second year plants. Seeds are contained
in slender capsules 1-2 1/2" long containing a single row of oblong
black seeds. Seeds:
Viable in the soil for 5 years. Root:
White, slender taproot, "S"-shaped at the top. |
Garlic mustard spreads into high quality woodlands
and upland and floodplain forests, not just into disturbed areas.
Invaded sites undergo a decline of native herbaceous cover within
10 years. Garlic mustard alters habitat suitability for native insects
and thereby birds and mammals. This European exotic occurs now in
27 midwestern and northeastern states and in Canada.
Legal Status:
This plant is a prohibited noxious weed in Minnesota and must be controlled
or eradicated as required by Minnesota Statutes, section 18.78.
|
 Wisconsin
Manual of Control Recommendations for Ecologically Invasive Plants,
1997. |
 |
|
