May 12, 2004
Garlic Mustard (Allaria officionalis)
A rather nondescript looking biennia herb, garlic mustard is an invasive that chokes out native plants by growing in dense stands. First-year plants remain as green rosettes over the winter: By April they are about one foot tall, and topped with small white flowers. The plants continue to grow taller as they bloom, reaching to over 3 feet, and blocking the light from later-sprouting plants. Long upright seedpods develop even as the plants continue flowering. By August the plants have dried out, with the abundant seeds ready to be scattered by any movement. Imported by European settlers who ate the spring leaves for vitamin C, garlic mustard is not a favorite in the diet of native insects and other animals. Thus it spreads unimpeded, especially in disturbed areas. Garlic mustard is widespread at Fresh Pond Reservation.