black mustard

American  

[blak muhs-terd] / ˈblæk ˈmʌs tərd /

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 ).

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black mustard British  

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)

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Etymology

Origin of black mustard

First recorded in 1300–50

Example Sentences

On Saturday morning, the volunteers spent hours pulling up the black mustard, focusing on a patch of land with five large coast live oaks.

From Los Angeles Times

The invasive species they brought — like black mustard, tree tobacco and castor bean — slowly crept into the ecosystem.

From Los Angeles Times

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