March 27, 2004
Early Riser
Garlic Mustard (Allaria officionalis) is one of the earliest
herbaceous plants to sprout on the Reservation each spring.
The seeds of this non-native weed were brought to the
New World by early colonists, perhaps unintentionally,
along with their grain supplies.

Garlic mustard is considered a severe threat to native plants
(and the animals that depend on those plants) in the eastern US.
It monopolizes light, moisture, nutrients and space. A single self-pollinating plant can produce up to 8000 seeds, and the offspring
can grow in dense stands of hundreds of plants per square yard.

The plant is a biennial: During its first year it forms a low rosette
of rounded leaves like the ones in the photo. In its second year,
it starts out low, but by April grows a tall stem with many small
white 4-petaled flowers which soon go to seed. Seeds can persist
in the soil for several years before sprouting, a characteristic that
makes eradication difficult.