Garlic mustard (Alliara petiolata) is a common plant
throughout Great Britain, being found on the edges of woods, in hedgerows and
alongside walls.
The plant grows erect to a maximum height of 48 inches (120
centimetres). The stem is usually unbranched but bears its leaves on stalks.
The lower leaves, which form a rosette at the base, are heart-shaped while
those higher up are triangular. The leaves are hairy on the underside.
The white flowers appear from April to June. The aroma they
give off is unpleasant to humans but attractive to hoverflies and small
insects. However, the plant is largely self-pollinating.
The seed-pods, which grow on short stalks, are ribbed and
cylindrical. Garlic mustard is a perfect food plant for the orange tip
butterfly because the pale green caterpillars are well camouflaged against the
seed-pods.
Garlic mustard is a member of the cabbage family, and it is
the only one to give off a strong smell of garlic – other such plants,
including field garlic, belong to the unrelated lily (Allium) family.
Other names for the plant include “hedge garlic”,
“jack-by-the-hedge” and “poor man’s mustard”. It is an edible plant that has
been used as a condiment and as a flavouring for fish. It can also be used in
salads or made into a sauce.
© John Welford
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