Description Garlic mustard is a biennial herb in the mustard family. Plants can range in height from 5 to 46 inches. The first year plants form rosettes of kidney-shaped leaves. In its second year, the plant grows a stem with leaves that are triangular and sharply toothed. The flowers are born in a cluster at the end of the stem, and each small flower has four white petals.
Seeds are black, oblong and found in rows within a long narrow capsule called a silique.
Crushed leaves and stems of this plant give off a distinctive garlic odor. Habitat Garlic mustard grows in rich, moist upland forests, and wooded streambanks. It is shade tolerant and readily invades disturbed areas such as roadsides and trail edges. Garlic mustard cannot tolerate acidic soils, including undrained peat or muck. Distribution Native to Europe and Asia, garlic mustard is now found in Canada, south to Virginia, and as far west as Kansas and Nebraska.