White mustard (''Sinapis alba''), also called yellow mustard, is an

annual plant An annual plant is a plant that completes its life cycle, from germination to the production of seeds, within one growing season, and then dies. Globally, 6% of all plant species and 15% of herbaceous plants (excluding trees and shrubs) are ...

of the cabbage family. It is sometimes also referred to as ''Brassica alba'' or ''B. hirta''. It probably originated in the Mediterranean region, but is now widespread worldwide. Grown for its seeds, it is used to make the condiment mustard, as a fodder crop, or as a

green manure In agriculture, a green manure is a crop specifically cultivated to be incorporated into the soil while still green. Typically, the green manure's Biomass (ecology), biomass is incorporated with a plow or disk, as is often done with (brown) man ...

Description

White mustard is an annual, growing to high with stalkless pinnate leaves, similar to '' Sinapis arvensis''. The yellow flowers of ''S.'alba'' contain 4 petals per flower and 4 alternating sepals. In addition, their pods are approximately 2.0–4.2 cm long.

Reproduction

''Sinapis alba'' is a long day plant, which means they flower when the amount of light received exceeds their critical photoperiod. Pollen from ''S. alba'' is able to be dispersed through wind and insect pollinators, such as wild bees, bumblebees, and flower flies. Additionally, white mustard is an obligate outcrossing species, that is, white mustard is self-incompatible and cannot self-fertilize.

Taxonomy

White mustard is one of the species originally described and named by

Carl Linnaeus Carl Linnaeus (23 May 1707 – 10 January 1778), also known after ennoblement in 1761 as Carl von Linné,#Blunt, Blunt (2004), p. 171. was a Swedish biologist and physician who formalised binomial nomenclature, the modern system of naming o ...

in his 1753 book ''

Species Plantarum ' (Latin for "The Species of Plants") is a book by Carl Linnaeus, originally published in 1753, which lists every species of plant known at the time, classified into genus, genera. It is the first work to consistently apply binomial nomenclature ...

'' using the name ''Sinapis alba''. This name continues to be accepted placing it in genus ''

Sinapis ''Sinapis'' is a genus of plants in the family Brassicaceae. , six species are recognised by ''The Plant List'': *'' Sinapis alba'' L. – white mustard, formerly ''Brassica alba'' *'' Sinapis allionii'' Jacq. *'' Sinapis arvensis'' L. — charlo ...

'' in the family

Brassicaceae Brassicaceae () or (the older but equally valid) Cruciferae () is a medium-sized and economically important Family (biology), family of flowering plants commonly known as the mustards, the crucifers, or the cabbage family. Most are herbaceous pla ...

Names

In English ''Sinapis alba'' is known by the

common name In biology, a common name of a taxon or organism (also known as a vernacular name, English name, colloquial name, country name, popular name, or farmer's name) is a name that is based on the normal language of everyday life; and is often con ...

''white mustard'', but is also called ''yellow mustard''.

Distribution

Most common in Europe, North Africa, the Middle East and Central Asia, it can be found worldwide. It has been found as far north as Greenland, and naturalized throughout the

British Isles The British Isles are an archipelago in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean off the north-western coast of continental Europe, consisting of the islands of Great Britain, Ireland, the Isle of Man, the Inner Hebrides, Inner and Outer Hebr ...

Culinary uses

The yellow flowers of the plant produce glabrous or sparsely bristled seed pods. Each fruit (

silique A silique or siliqua (plural ''siliques'' or ''siliquae'') is a type of fruit (seed capsule) having two fused carpels with the length being more than three times the width. When the length is less than three times the width of the dried fruit ...

) contains roughly a half dozen seeds. The plants are harvested for their seeds just prior to the seed pods becoming ripe and bursting open (dehiscing). White mustard seeds are hard spheroid seeds, usually around in diameter, with a color ranging from beige or yellow to light brown. They can be used whole for pickling or toasted for use in dishes. When ground and mixed with other ingredients, a paste or more standard

condiment A condiment is a preparation that is added to food, typically after cooking, to enhance the Flavoring, flavour, to complement the dish or to impart a specific flavor. Such specific flavors generally add sweetness or pungency, or sharp or piquant ...

can be produced. ''Sinapis alba'' is used to make the commonplace yellow table mustard, with additional yellow coloring provided by

turmeric Turmeric (), or ''Curcuma longa'' (), is a flowering plant in the ginger family Zingiberaceae. It is a perennial, rhizomatous, herbaceous plant native to the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia that requires temperatures between and high ...

in some formulations. The seeds contain sinalbin, which is a

thioglycoside In chemistry, a glycoside is a molecule in which a sugar is bound to another functional group via a glycosidic bond. Glycosides play numerous important roles in living organisms. Many plants store chemicals in the form of inactive glycosides. ...

responsible for their pungent taste. In ''S. alba'', the glucosinolate sinalbin is broken down by enzymes like myrosinase, resulting in the formation of 'white principles'. These white principles consist of benzyl isothiocyanate and benzylamine. White mustard has fewer volatile oils than black mustard seeds, and the flavor is considered to be milder. In Greece, the plant's leaves are eaten during the winter, before it blooms. Greeks call it () or (). The blooming season of this plant (February–March) is celebrated with the Mustard Festival, a series of festivities in the wine country of California (Napa and Sonoma Counties).

Other uses

White mustard is commonly used as a cover and

crop in Europe (between the UK and Ukraine). A large number of varieties exist, mainly differing in lateness of flowering and resistance against white beet-cyst nematode ('' Heterodera schachtii''). Farmers generally prefer late-flowering varieties that do not produce seeds which may develop into weeds in the subsequent year's crop rotation. Early vigor is important to cover the soil quickly to suppress weeds and protect the soil against erosion. In rotations with

sugar beet A sugar beet is a plant whose root contains a high concentration of sucrose and that is grown commercially for sugar production. In plant breeding, it is known as the Altissima cultivar group of the common beet (''Beta vulgaris''). Together with ...

s, suppression of the sugar beet nematode (SBCN) is an important trait. Since white mustard is a SBCN-resistant crop, it is able to reduce nematode populations by preventing growth of young nematodes. Additionally, white mustard can be used in biodiesel production as feedstock and is used as alternative fuel. More applications of white mustard include being used as a binding agent in meat processing, a lubricant for lighting, and in traditional medicine for its antiviral properties.

Gallery

Image:Sinapis alba 1.JPG, flowering plant Image:Sinapis alba Habitus 2010-4-11 DehesaBoyalPuertollano.jpg, plant Image:Gele mosterd bloemen Sinapis alba.jpg, flowers Image:Sinapis alba fruits IP0307031.jpg, seed pods Image:Gele mosterd groenbemesting (Sinapis alba green manuring).jpg, cover crop

References

External links

Sinapis alba
Flowers in Israel * * * * http://www.maltawildplants.com/CRUC/Sinapis_alba.php Comprehensive profile for ''Sinapis alba''. {{Taxonbar, from=Q146202 Spices Brassicaceae Medicinal plants Plants described in 1753