Wanted dead not alive: garlic mustard
Aliens are invading, and they are not welcome. On a hike Monday afternoon with Arkansas Natural Heritage Commission botanist, Theo Witsell and more than a dozen other people, we crossed the trail at the south end of Lake Leatherwood. Hidden among the forest flora was what could be our worst alien invasion – garlic mustard. The hike, organized by Christopher Fischer, was administered by the Arkansas Forestry Commission Urban and Community Forestry Program, with various sponsoring agencies. The purpose was to explore native plants of the Ozark highlands, rather than discover threats to their existence.
Garlic mustard (Alliaria petiolata) is a member of the mustard family native to Eurasia that arrived in North America only to become a very serious weed. It is a plant we do not want in Eureka Springs.
As the name implies, garlic mustard has a garlic-like odor. In Eurasia the plant is either annual or perennial. In the U.S. it is known as an obligate biennial – in other words, it produces a basal rosette of leaves the first year, then shoots up a flowering stalk, goes to seed, and dies the second year, and it always behaves this way. The plant is built to survive and reproduce, choking out competing vegetation with its stealthy reproductive strategy coupled with compounds that kill soil bacteria and fungi that are beneficial to native plants.
It occurs in at least 46 states including Arkansas. In some states this plant is classified as a Class A Noxious Weed, and is prohibited or banned. Its seeds survive burning. It is very adaptable to different habitats and is equally happy in shaded woods or an open farm field. Once it gets established, it’s tough to get rid of it, short of pulling up each and every plant by the root.
Historically in England, it was used by peasants as condiment, known as “sauce alone.” In times of famine, a broth was made from the leaves for mere survival. The wild herb was also used to flavor breads and butter, salted meats, salads or cooked as a pot herb. But as a weed in the U.S., it has no redeeming qualities. So if you see this plant, destroy it.