Brassica tournefortii (Saharan mustard or African mustard)

Brassica tournefortii

Photo courtesy Matt Brooks, USGS

Brassica tournefortii (Saharan mustard or African mustard) is a winter annual (family Brassicaceae) found in deserts, desert dunes, and coastal scrub, including the San Joaquin Valley, Sonoran and Mojave Deserts, and southwestern region of California. Saharan mustard readily invades newly burned areas, and is known to increase fire frequency and fuel load. Increased fire frequency can cause scrub habitats to convert to grasslands because the native shrubs are not adapted to recurrent fires. The high biomass of Saharan mustard, along with frequent fires, may deplete soils of important nutrients, making native habitat recovery more difficult.

Cal-IPC Inventory rating: High

Cal-IPC Resources on Brassica tournefortii

• California Invasive Plant Inventory Assessment Form (pdf) - Information gathered by Cal-IPC on the impacts, rate of spread, and distribution of invasive plants in California. Does not include management information.
• Species account from Invasive Plants of California's Wildlands - Includes biology and management information.
• Cal-IPC News - Articles from our quarterly newsletter. Each issue is available as a pdf. List of articles on Brassica tournefortii.
• Cal-IPC Symposium Proceedings - Presentations and papers from our annual Symposium. List of articles on Brassica tournefortii.
• Saharan mustard research - Presentations from a meeting held August 2005.

Cal-IPC News Articles

• Brooks, M. and K. Berry (1999). Ecology and management of alien annual plants in the California desert. CalEPPC News. 7: 4-6.
• Holt, J. S. (2005). Invasive plants research at UC Riverside. Cal-IPC News. 13: 12-13.

Cal-IPC Symposium Proceedings

• Archbald, G. (1998). Mechanical control methods: beyond weed bashing. California Exotic Pest Plant Council Symposium '98. Ontario, CA.
• Devender, T. R. V., R. S. Frlger, et al. (1997). Exotic plants in the Sonoran desert region, Arizona and Sonora. California Exotic Pest Plant Council Symposium '97. Concord, CA.
• Lair, K., N. Ritter, et al. (2006). Restoration of retired San Joaquin Valley farmlands using herbicides and activated charcoal. Cal-IPC Symposium. Rohnert Park, CA.
• Marushia, R. and J. Holt (2005). Phenology of Brassica tournefortii in comparison to B. nigra, B. geniculata, and native Mojave Desert annuals. California Invasive Plant Council Symposium 2005. Chico, CA.
• Minnich, R. A. (1994). Effects of exotic plants on three California ecosystems. California Exotic Pest Plant Symposium '94. Sacramento, CA, CA.
• Minnich, R. A. (1995). Fire ecology of exotic grasses in the California desert. California Exotic Pest Plant Council Symposium '95. J. Lovich, J. Randall and M. Kelly. Pacific Grove, CA.
• Minnich, R. A. (2004). California’s fading wildflower legacy. California Invasive Plant Council Symposium 2004. Ventura, CA.
• Northam, F. E. (2001). Invasive plant species management in Arizona. California Exotic Pest Plant Council Symposium 2001. San Diego, CA.
• Sanders, A. C. (1998). Invasive exotics in California: A perspective from inland Southern California. California Exotic Pest Plant Council Symposium '98. Ontario, CA.

Other Resources on Brassica tournefortii

• USDA PLANTS database - Federal database with information on identification and distribution, and links to websites in individual states.
• Jepson Online Interchange for California Flora - Information on taxonomy, biology, and distribution from the UC Berkeley Jepson Herbarium.
• CalFlora - Distribution information by county based on submitted observations and herbarium specimens.
• The Nature Conservancy Management Summary - Information compiled by TNC land managers. Photos included for some species.
• CalPhotos - Images of plants taken mostly in California.
• Natural Resource Projects Inventory - State database with information on resource management projects throughout California. Query by the species of interest.

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