Charlock

Charlock (Sinapis arvensis) has long been a bane of arable farmers as it is a persistent weed that chokes spring-sown crops. Although modern farmers can control it by using weed-killers, it can still be seen growing vigorously on field margins, roadsides and abandoned land across Great Britain and elsewhere.

Charlock grows to 18 inches (45 centimetres) in height. The thick, hairy stems bear unlobed leaves that are large at the base of the stem and smaller higher up. The bright yellow flowers, which appear between May and July, are notable for having sepals that spread out horizontally below the petals. The seed pods are cylindrical, sticking out from the stem, with the seeds forming in two separate rows, one on each side of the pod.

A single charlock plant can produce hundreds of seeds. Not only does this make it difficult to control the plant, but the seeds are extremely long-lived. It is not unknown for a farmer to plough up a long-established pasture and find that it soon turns into a sea of yellow, due to buried charlock seeds, maybe as much as 50 years old and dating from the field’s previous use as a cornfield, being brought close to the surface where they can germinate.

Charlock has been used for food in past centuries, being boiled as a vegetable.

 

© John Welford