black mustard

[ blak muhs-terd ]

noun

1. the cruciferous plant Brassica nigra, the seeds of which are ground into a pungent spice or used whole, as in Indian cuisine, and are a chief ingredient of many commercially prepared mustards: black mustard is sometimes mistakenly classified as Sinapis nigra, but it does not belong to same genus as white mustard ( S. alba ).

black mustard

noun

1. a Eurasian plant, Brassica (or Sinapsis ) nigra , with clusters of yellow flowers and pungent seeds from which the condiment mustard is made: family Brassicaceae (crucifers)

Word History and Origins

Origin of black mustard¹

First recorded in 1300–50

Example Sentences

It was a warm October evening and the swaths of black mustard weed on the trail had completely dried up, leaving the towering stalks spindly and bare.

From Los Angeles Times

The hope is that the plants will be robust enough — thanks to the beneficial microbes — to crowd out the black mustard and other invasive plants growing nearby, Rock said.

From Los Angeles Times

No one questions the need to remove such fast-growing invasives as black mustard, which becomes kindling for wildfires once it dries out in the summer.

From Los Angeles Times

It has also led to a destructive superbloom of black mustard, a fast-growing invasive plant that chokes out native vegetation relied on by native pollinators and, in turn, the birds that eat them.

From Salon

The herd nearest us has only been grazing a day, and already it’s denuded half of the eastern canyon, which was thick with invasive wild radish and black mustard plants over 5 feet tall.

From Los Angeles Times