Treacle mustard (Erysimum cheiranthoides)
has nothing to do with treacle. The name is a corruption of the Greek
“theriaki” which means an antidote to bites from animals and insects, because
this was a common use of the plant during the 16th century.
Another name for treacle mustard is
wormseed mustard, because its seeds were formerly used as a treatment for
intestinal worms in children.
The plant is found on both waste and
cultivated ground, more commonly in southern England than further north.
It grows with one or more branched, leafy
stems growing erect to a maximum height of 36 inches (90 centimetres). The
lower leaves grow on stalks but the upper ones do not. The leaves have smooth
edges or shallow teeth.
The small yellow flowers grow to form a neat
ring with a flat-topped flower-head.
The downy seed-pods are square in
cross-section.
Treacle mustard is closely related to the
Siberian wallflower, which is the variety of wallflower often planted in
British gardens. It is only a distant relative of the common wallflower, which
grows wild in some parts of the country.
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