Brassicaceae FAMILY

Sinapis alba

Edibility

3/5

Medicinal

3/5

Safety & Hazards

The seed contains substances that irritate the skin and mucous membranes[ 238 Title Encyclopaedia of Herbs and their Uses. Publication Author Bown. D. Publisher Dorling Kindersley, London. Year 1995 ISBN 0-7513-020-31 Description A very well presented and informative book on herbs from around the globe. Plenty in it for both the casual reader and the serious student. Just one main quibble is the silly way of having two separate entries for each plant. ]. The plant is possibly poisonous once the seedpods have formed[ 76 Title Poisonous Plants in Britain and their Effects on Animals and Man. Publication Author Cooper. M. and Johnson. A. Publisher HMSO Year 1984 ISBN 0112425291 Description Concentrates mainly on the effects of poisonous plants to livestock. ].

Botanical Description

Sinapis alba is an erect, annual plant growing from a thin taproot; usually only branching in its upper part, it can grow 30 - 100cm tall[ 418 Title Ecocrop Publication Author Website http://ecocrop.fao.org/ecocrop/srv/en/home Publisher Year 0 ISBN Description Basic information on a wide range of useful plants, plus details of environmental needs where available. ]. The plant is harvested from the wild for local use as a food and medicine. It is often cultivated for its seed, which is a source of oil; is used to make the condiment 'white mustard'; and is also used as a seed sprout in salads etc. It is the most important of the four species of mustard in cultivation, accounting for almost 60% of the market[ 310 Title Plant Resources of Southeast Asia Publication Author Website http://proseanet.org/ Publisher Year 0 ISBN Description Lots of information on the uses of the plants of SE Asia. ]..

Habitat & Origin

Origintemperate

Native RangeEurope - Mediterranean. Naturalized in Britain[ 17 Title Flora of the British Isles. Publication Author Clapham, Tutin and Warburg. Publisher Cambridge University Press Year 1962 ISBN - Description A very comprehensive flora, the standard reference book but it has no pictures. ].

HabitatA weed of arable and waste land, especially on calcareous soils[ 17 Title Flora of the British Isles. Publication Author Clapham, Tutin and Warburg. Publisher Cambridge University Press Year 1962 ISBN - Description A very comprehensive flora, the standard reference book but it has no pictures. ].