Sisymbrium Sp.

Family: Mustard - Brassicaceae

Annual [to perennial herb]; hairs simple or 0. Leaf: basal rosetted or not, petioled, simple, entire, dentate, or pinnately lobed; cauline petioled or sessile, base not lobed. Inflorescence: elongated. Flower: sepals erect to spreading, lateral pair generally not sac-like at base, tips horned or not; petals yellow [white, pink], clawed. Fruit: silique, dehiscent, linear or awl-shaped, cylindric, unsegmented; stigma 2-lobed. Seed: 6–160, in 1 row, wingless.
41 species: North America, Eurasia, n&s Africa. (Greek: for various mustards) [Warwick & Al-Shehbaz 2003 Novon 13:265–267]

Local Species;

  1. Sisymbrium altissimum - tall tumble-mustard
  2. Sisymbrium loeselii - Loesel's tumble-mustard
  3. Sisymbrium officinale - hedge mustard

Species Mentioned;

S. altissimum. S. officinale[Wildman] Sisymbrium Spp.

Hazard

The foliage has been found to be poisonous to livestock, when eaten in quantity, so it would be wise to go slowly at first when eating the leaves.

Edible Uses

Seed  

In southern California, I found the Santa Rosa Indians mixing the seeds of a Hedge Mustard, Sisymbrium canescens, with their corn meal to make it more agreeable. Seeds that they gave me have much the size, color, shape, and flavor of those of the common Hedge Mustard, Sisymbrium officinale, of the East. [EWP]
The Indians used to gather the small seeds of these mustards. The plants were dried over a cloth and then shaken out. or the clusters of fruit were picked, placed in a bag, and allowed to dry. In any event, the seeds secured were ground into a meal and used for such things as flavoring soup, or in making gruel.

Leaves  

Young leaves cooked as a springtime potherb.[Turner, Kuhnlein, Harrington]
Eat the deliciously pungent basal leaves and the young leaves and flowers from the flower stalk, raw or lightly cooked. They taste like Chinese mustard. [Wildman]

Shoots  

Used as a potherb when young and tender.[???]

Young Leaves & Shoots  

It is reported that they have been eaten raw as a salad, but if you try them it would be wise to mix them with other plants.

Medicinal Uses

Leaves & Flowers  

S. altissimum; Antiscorbutic and astringent[240].

Related Sp.

The two commonest weedy species, both widespread in the United States, are S. altissimum and S. officinalis. However, other ones are present and should be tried.

References

Sisymbrium altissimum - tall tumble-mustard

Sisymbrium altissimum is a ANNUAL growing to 1 m (3ft 3in). It is not frost tender. It is in flower from Jun to August, and the seeds ripen from Jul to September. The flowers are hermaphrodite (have both male and female organs) and are pollinated by Insects, self?.The plant is self-fertile.
Suitable for: light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils. Suitable pH: acid, neutral and basic (alkaline) soils. It can grow in semi-shade (light woodland) or no shade. It prefers dry or moist soil.

Habitat / Range
Mesic to dry fields and waste places in the lowland, steppe and montane zones; common in S BC; introduced from Eurasia.

Origin Status: Exotic.

Food Usage

Young leaves and shoots - raw or cooked[85]. A somewhat hot flavour, they can be used as a flavouring in salads or cooked as a potherb[183]. Young leaves cooked as springtime potherb. [Turner&Kuhnlein]

Seed - ground into a powder and used as a gruel or as a mustard-like flavouring in soups etc[85, 183, 257].

Herbal Usage

The leaves and flowers are antiscorbutic and astringent[240].

Plant probably used in emetics. (191:29) [NAEth Moerman]

Cultivation
Succeeds in most soils.

Propagation
Seed - sow spring or autumn in situ.

Synonyms

References

Sisymbrium loeselii - Loesel's tumble-mustard

Sisymbrium loeselii is a ANNUAL growing to 0.5 m (1ft 8in). The flowers are hermaphrodite (have both male and female organs) and are pollinated by Insects, self?.The plant is self-fertile.
Suitable for: light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils. Suitable pH: acid, neutral and basic (alkaline) soils. It can grow in semi-shade (light woodland) or no shade. It prefers dry or moist soil.

General: Annual herb from a taproot; stems erect, 0.4-1.2 m tall, freely branched, sparsely to densely hairy with spreading hairs or the hairs pointing backward, glabrous above.

Leaves: Broadly deltoid-lanceolate to lanceolate, to 15 cm long, short-stalked, pinnately-cut, the segments pointing backwards, usually with large, long-pointed, terminal lobes irregularly saw-toothed to toothed.

Flowers: Racemes to 40 cm long in fruit; petals lemon yellow, 6-8 mm long, broadly egg-shaped with long narrow claw; sepals about 3.5 mm long, lanceolate.

Fruits: Siliques, ascending to erect but not appressed, straight or slightly arcuate, 2-3.5 cm long, round in cross section, segments prominently 3-nerved; beaks about 0.5 mm long; fruiting stalks spreading to ascending, 7-20 mm long, slender; seeds uniseriate, about 0.7 mm long, not gelatinous when wet.

Habitat / Range
Mesic to dry fields and waste places in the lowland, steppe and montane zones; frequent in S BC; introduced from Eurasia.

Origin Status: Exotic.

Food Usage

Greens. [Turner&Kuhnlein]

Herbal Usage

The leaves and the flowers are used in the treatment of scurvy and scrofula[240].

Cultivation
Succeeds in most soils. This species is closely related to S. irio[17].

Propagation
Seed - sow spring or autumn in situ.

References

Sisymbrium officinale - hedge mustard

Sisymbrium officinale is a ANNUAL growing to 0.6 m (2ft) by 0.3 m (1ft in). It is hardy to zone (UK) 6 and is not frost tender. It is in flower from Jun to July, and the seeds ripen from Jul to August. The flowers are hermaphrodite (have both male and female organs) and are pollinated by Self.The plant is self-fertile.
It is noted for attracting wildlife.
Suitable for: light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils. Suitable pH: acid, neutral and basic (alkaline) soils. It can grow in semi-shade (light woodland) or no shade. It prefers moist soil.

General: Annual herb from a taproot; stems 0.2-1.0 m tall, simple to (more commonly) loosely branched, stiff, usually strongly stiff-hairy with backward-pointing or spreading hairs.

Leaves: Basal leaves oblanceolate, 4-25 cm long, 1-6 cm wide, pinnately-cut, terminal lobe the largest and more or less egg-shaped and shallowly round-toothed, glabrate to sparsely hairy; stem leaves usually unstalked, much reduced, generally with 4-6 linear to narrowly lanceolate lobes, terminal lobes more deltoid-lanceolate.

Flowers: Racemes elongate in fruit, as much as 35 cm long; petals pale yellow, 3-4 mm long; sepals 1.5-2.5 mm long, oblong-oblanceolate.

Fruits: Siliques, erect, 8-15 mm long, 1-1.5 mm wide, linear and awn-like, tightly appressed, beaked, sparsely hairy to glabrous; segments 3-nerved, tardily dehiscent; fruiting stalks erect, 1-3 mm long, stout, enlarged at the tips and about as thick as siliques; beaks 1-2 mm long; seeds about 1.3 mm long, plump, not gelatinous when wet.

Habitat / Range
Mesic to dry fields and waste places in the lowland zone; frequent in SW BC, infrequent in SC BC; introduced from Eurasia.

Origin Status: Exotic.

Food Usage

Young shoots - raw or cooked[2, 9, 85]. A bitter cabbage-like flavour, they are used as a flavouring in salads or cooked as a potherb[183, K]. Leaves cooked and eaten as salad greens. [NAEth Moerman]

Seed - raw or cooked[257]. It can be ground into a powder and used as a gruel or as a mustard-like flavouring in soups etc[85, 183]. Parched, ground seeds used to make soup or stew. [NAEth Moerman]

Other Usage

Alkaline secretions from the growing roots help to sweeten an acid soil[18].

Herbal Usage

The whole plant is said to be antiaphonic, diuretic, expectorant, laxative and stomachic[4, 7, 21, 46]. This plant was at one time known as the 'singer's plant' because of its use in treating loss of the voice[7]. A strong infusion of the whole plant has been used in the treatment of throat complaints[4, 238]. Excessive doses can affect the heart[238]. The dried plant is almost inactive, so it should only be used when freshly harvested[7]. Used as a poultice for croup. [NAEth Moerman]

Medicinal Parts: The medicinal parts are the fresh, flowering herb and the fresh aerial parts of the flowering plant. ACTIONS AND PHARMACOLOGY COMPOUNDS Cardioactive steroid glycosides (cardenolides, 0.05% in the tips of the foliage): including among others corchorosid A and helveticosid Glucosinolates: chiefly sinigrin (allylglucosinolates) and glucohapin (3-butenylglucosinolates), releasing through cell destruction the volatile mustard oil allylisothiocyanate and 3- butenylisothiocyanate Vitamins: ascorbic acid (vitamin C, up to 0.2 % in the fresh foliage) EFFECTS Hedge mustard contains cardio-active steroids (cardenolids) and is said to be spasmolytic and analgesic. Its use for pharyngitis and laryngitis as well as severe hoarseness may be due to the mustard oils. INDICATION S AND USAGE Unproven Uses: In folk medicine, the drug is used for laryngitis and pharyngitis, severe hoarseness including loss of voice, chronic bronchitis and inflammation of the gallbladder. ' PRECAUTIONS AND ADVERSE REACTIONS No health hazards or side effects are known in conjunction with the proper administration of designated therapeutic dosages. OVERDOSAGE It is conceivable that overdosage would have digitalis-like effects. These include queasiness. vomiting, diarrhea, headache and cardiac rhythm disorders. Cases of poisonings have not, however, been recorded. DOSAGE Daily Dosage: The average daily internal dose of the drug is 0.5 to 1.0 gm, which would be equal to 3 to 4 cups daily of an infusion. It takes between 6 and 8 g of drug to make 1 g extract. Externally, the infusion is used as a gargle or mouthwash, several times daily.

HEDGE MUSTARD (Sisymbrium officinale (L.) Scop.) ++ Synonym: Erysimum officinale L. Activities (Hedge Mustard) — Analgesic (1; HH2; PH2); Antispasmodic (1; HH2; PH2); Astringent (f; EFS); Cardiotonic (1; EFS; PH2); Diuretic (f; CEB; EFS; FEL); Expectorant (f; CEB; EFS); Litholytic (f; EFS); Pectoral (f; EFS); Stimulant (f; EFS); Vermifuge (f; CEB). Indications (Hedge Mustard) — Aphonia (f; PH2); Asthma (f; FEL; HHB); Backache (f; CEB); Bite (f; CEB); Bronchosis (f; PH2); Cancer (1; FNF; JLH); Cancer, breast (1; FNF; JLH); Cancer, testes (1; FNF; JLH); Canker (f; CEB); Catarrh (f; CEB; HHB); Cholecystosis (f; PH2); Colic (f; CEB); Cough (f; CEB; FEL; HHB); Cramp (1; DEM; HH2; PH2); Croup (f; DEM); Cystosis (f; HHB); Dyspnea (f; CEB); Dysuria (f; FEL); Hoarseness (1; CEB; FEL; HHB; PH2); Induration (f; JLH); Inflammation (f; PH2); Jaundice (f; CEB); Kidney Stone (f; HHB); Laryngosis (1; PH2); Mastosis (f; JLH); Nephrosis (f; HHB); Orchosis (f; JLH); Pain (1; CEB; HH2; PH2); Pharyngosis (1; PH2); Pleurisy (f; CEB); Pulmonosis (f; CEB); Sciatica (f; CEB); Sore (f; CEB); Sore Throat (f; CEB); Stone (f; EFS); Swelling (f; CEB); Water Retention (f; CEB; EFS; FEL); Worm (f; CEB). Dosages (Hedge Mustard) — Steep 40–60 g dry leaf/liter water overnight, drink 4–5 cups next day with honey (CEB); take juice of fresh plant with honey and milk (CEB); 5–30 grains powdered seed (FEL); 0.5–1 g plant in tea 3–4 ×/day (HH2; PH2). Contraindications, Interactions, and Side Effects (Hedge Mustard) — Not covered (AHP). “Hazards and/or side effects not known for proper therapeutic dosages” (PH2). Cardiac (digitalic) effects possible, arrhythmia, diarrhea, headache, nausea, queasiness, and vomiting (PH2).

An ancient remedy for coughs, chest complaints and particularly hoarseness.[MPFT]

Cultivation
An easily grown plant, it succeeds in most soils but prefers a moist to dry acid to alkaline soil in full sun or light shade[238]. Plants are hardy to at least -15°c[238]. Hedge mustard grows well near oats but it inhibits the growth of turnips[18]. The plant has a peculiar aptitude for collecting and retaining dust[4]. This means that when growing near roads or other polluted places the leaves are seldom edible[K]. A food plant for the caterpillars of several butterfly and moth species[30].

Propagation
Seed - sow spring or autumn in situ[238].

Synonyms

References