As its alternative name, Jack-by-the-hedge suggests, garlic mustard is a plant of hedgerows and road sides and woodland edges or rides. It has heart-shaped leaves with toothed margins and small white four-petalled flowers characteristic of the cabbage family. A biennial that self-seeds freely on dampish neutral to calcareous soils, once found in the garden – accidental or planted – garlic mustard will be around for many years.
 
It was first formally recorded by William Turner in 1538 named as "Sauce" alone, and "Jak of the hedge".1. According to Prior writing in 1870,2. the name garlic mustard alluded to its offensive smell from Jack, or Jakes (latrina) by the hedge where it grew. Alternatively, it was ‘named Jack-by-the-hedge because jacks or jakes, or even johns was a good name for a toilet, and I suppose the hedgerows were a good spot when you were on the road’.3.  
 
Its local names4. today include Jack-in-the-bush in Gloucestershire and Herefordshire, penny hedge in Norfolk, pick pocket in Devon and poor man’s mustard in Lincolnshire - a clue to one of its former uses.   It is also often referred to as hedge garlic. With its slight garlicy flavour, garlic mustard can be finely chopped and used to flavour soups and sauces (as Turner’s name Sauce alone suggests) or in salads.5. As a vegetable it is recommended by one author to boil twice to reduce the somewhat bitter flavour, and serve with butter. Medicinally, the juice having antiseptic properties, was traditionally used to clean ulcers and sores6. and itching from bites and stings.7. It was also recorded as treating mouth ulcers and sore throats.8.
 
Garlic mustard is the main food plant of the orange-tip butterfly Anthocharis cardamines, which it will undoubtedly attract in gardens as well as the green-veined white Pieris napi, and small white Pieris rapae and it is amongst the very wide range of food plants taken by the large white Pieris brassicae, so is a plant to lure egg-laying females away from cabbages. It is also the food plant of several species of polyphagous moths including the common and widespread garden carpet moth Xanthorhoe fluctuata, and the longhorn moth Cauchas rufimitrella which visits the flowers of the foodplant cuckoo flower as well as garlic mustard in May and June. It is also a foodplant of several species of weevil notably Ceutorhynchus sulcicollis and garlic mustard weevil Ceutorhynchus alliariae and the nationally scarce Ceutorhynchus constrictus.9.
 
 
Garlic mustard Alliaria petiolata
 
Family Brassicaceae, Cabbage family
Biennial up to 20 – 120 cm tall
Flowering time March to July
Soil  -  most soils esp. chalk
Sun - Full sun, partial shade
             Male orange-tip butterfly                               female small white butterfly egg-laying on garlic mustard
 
Garlic mustard is a plant to welcome to garden corners and along hedges and fences, and it doesn’t look out of place in flower beds where its early white flowers with fresh green attractively-shaped leaves contrast well with plants such as red campion and columbine. After flowering it is advisable to leave a few to self-seed and check for eggs and caterpillars before removing others.
 
References
 
1.  Pearman, D. (2017). The Discovery of the Native Flora of Britain and Ireland, A compilation of the first records for 1670 species and aggregates, covering Great Britain, Ireland, The Channel Isles and the Isle of Man. Botanical Society of Britain & Ireland. p 90                                                                                      
 
2.  Prior, R.C. A. (1870). On the Popular Names of British Plants, ed.2, London: Williams and Norgate p.123                
3.  Vickery, R pers. Comm.                                                                                                                         
4.  Vickery, R. (2019). Vickery’s Folk Flora, An A to Z of the Folklore and Uses of British and Irish Plants. Weidenfeld & Nicolson. London. p288 
 
5. Hooper, M. (1984). Herbs and Medicinal Plants. Kingfisher Books. London. p 43                                         
 
6.  Michael, P.A. (1986). A Country Harvest. Peerage Books.p 22                                                                   
 
7.  Phillips, R. & Foy, N. (1990). Herbs. Pan Books.. p 18                                                                               
8. Vickery, R. (2019). Vickery’s Folk Flora, An A to Z of the Folklore and Uses of British and Irish Plants. Weidenfeld & Nicolson. London t.                                      
 
9.   Biological Record Centre database  
 
Page written by Caroline Ware.  Compiled by Steve Head 
 
Garlic mustard Alliaria petiolata
 
Family Brassicaceae, Cabbage family
Biennial up to 20 – 120 cm tall
Flowering time March to July
Soil  -  most soils esp. chalk
Sun - Full sun, partial shade
As its alternative name, Jack-by-the-hedge suggests, garlic mustard is a plant of hedgerows and road sides and woodland edges or rides. It has heart-shaped leaves with toothed margins and small white four-petalled flowers characteristic of the cabbage family. A biennial that self-seeds freely on dampish neutral to calcareous soils, once found in the garden – accidental or planted – garlic mustard will be around for many years.
 
It was first formally recorded by William Turner in 1538 named as "Sauce" alone, and "Jak of the hedge".1. According to Prior writing in 1870,2. the name garlic mustard alluded to its offensive smell from Jack, or Jakes (latrina) by the hedge where it grew. Alternatively, it was ‘named Jack-by-the-hedge because jacks or jakes, or even johns was a good name for a toilet, and I suppose the hedgerows were a good spot when you were on the road’.3.  
 
Its local names4. today include Jack-in-the-bush in Gloucestershire and Herefordshire, penny hedge in Norfolk, pick pocket in Devon and poor man’s mustard in Lincolnshire - a clue to one of its former uses.   It is also often referred to as hedge garlic. With its slight garlicy flavour, garlic mustard can be finely chopped and used to flavour soups and sauces (as Turner’s name Sauce alone suggests) or in salads.5. As a vegetable it is recommended by one author to boil twice to reduce the somewhat bitter flavour, and serve with butter. Medicinally, the juice having antiseptic properties, was traditionally used to clean ulcers and sores6. and itching from bites and stings.7. It was also recorded as treating mouth ulcers and sore throats.8.
 
Garlic mustard is the main food plant of the orange-tip butterfly Anthocharis cardamines, which it will undoubtedly attract in gardens as well as the green-veined white Pieris napi, and small white Pieris rapae and it is amongst the very wide range of food plants taken by the large white Pieris brassicae, so is a plant to lure egg-laying females away from cabbages. It is also the food plant of several species of polyphagous moths including the common and widespread garden carpet moth Xanthorhoe fluctuata, and the longhorn moth Cauchas rufimitrella which visits the flowers of the foodplant cuckoo flower as well as garlic mustard in May and June. It is also a foodplant of several species of weevil notably Ceutorhynchus sulcicollis and garlic mustard weevil Ceutorhynchus alliariae and the nationally scarce Ceutorhynchus constrictus.9.
 
 
          Male orange-tip butterfly             female small white butterfly egg-laying
                                                                 on garlic mustard
 
Garlic mustard is a plant to welcome to garden corners and along hedges and fences, and it doesn’t look out of place in flower beds where its early white flowers with fresh green attractively-shaped leaves contrast well with plants such as red campion and columbine. After flowering it is advisable to leave a few to self-seed and check for eggs and caterpillars before removing others.
 
References
 
1.  Pearman, D. (2017). The Discovery of the Native Flora of Britain and Ireland, A compilation of the first records for 1670 species and aggregates, covering Great Britain, Ireland, The Channel Isles and the Isle of Man. Botanical Society of Britain & Ireland. p 90                                                                                      
 
2.  Prior, R.C. A. (1870). On the Popular Names of British Plants, ed.2, London: Williams and Norgate p.123                
3.  Vickery, R pers. Comm.                                                                                                                         
4.  Vickery, R. (2019). Vickery’s Folk Flora, An A to Z of the Folklore and Uses of British and Irish Plants. Weidenfeld & Nicolson. London. p288 
 
5. Hooper, M. (1984). Herbs and Medicinal Plants. Kingfisher Books. London. p 43                                         
 
6.  Michael, P.A. (1986). A Country Harvest. Peerage Books.p 22                                                                   
 
7.  Phillips, R. & Foy, N. (1990). Herbs. Pan Books.. p 18                                                                               
8. Vickery, R. (2019). Vickery’s Folk Flora, An A to Z of the Folklore and Uses of British and Irish Plants. Weidenfeld & Nicolson. London t.                                      
 
9.   Biological Record Centre database  
 
Page written by Caroline Ware.  Compiled by Steve Head 
 
           Garden Wildplants
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