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Sinapis arvensis

AgroAtlas - Weeds - Sinapis arvensis L. - Charlock mustard. Family Brassicaceae Burnett (Cruciferae Juss.), genus Sinapis L. Stem is 10-100 cm tall; angulate, branched, covered with horizontally-tilted coarse simple hairs, often there are reddish-violet spots at base of branches. Lower leaves are petiolate, pinnatifid, unevenly-toothed along the edge, with roundish blunt upper lobe. Upper leaves are sessile, oblong-ovate, with pointed tip. Inflorescence is elongated raceme. Flowers are actinomorphic, consisting of four components; yellow petals are situated crosswise, twice as large as sepals. Fruit is silicle, consisting of two segments; lower segment is oblong-cylindrical, dehiscent, multi-seeded (up to 20 seeds), upper one is elongated into conical tetrahedral indehiscent, usually one-seeded beak, which is separated from the lower segment by wedge-shaped spindle. Silicle is ligneous, glabrous, stramineous, located on short and thick, slantwise-upward directed peduncles. Seeds are globular, dark-brown or almost black. It flowers in May-June, bears fruits in July-August. Maximum productivity is up to 20,000 seeds. Minimum temperature for seed germination is 2-4œC; optimum is 14-20œC. Fresh seeds germinate poorly because of their dormancy. Brown seeds have higher energy and speed of germination than black ones. Seeds germinate from depths of no more than 5-6 cm; their viability is maintained in soil for up to 10 years. Seeds partly keep their germinability while passing through the digestive system of animals.

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