When the fields blossom in a sometimes bright yellow in spring, everyone knows that it is rapeseed. The situation is different when the flowers appear in late summer or autumn. One wonders in amazement whether oilseed rape also blooms in autumn. But that's not the case, it's one of the mustard varieties. Aside from the flowering period, oilseed rape and mustard look confusingly similar. However, there are differences.
mustard and rapeseed
When you see a yellow field, you immediately think of rapeseed. Don't be fooled, it could also be the mustard plant. The two plants look confusingly similar. With a little background knowledge and a trained eye, they can be distinguished.
similarities
The fact that the plants cannot be easily distinguished is also due to the fact that they both belong to the same genus. They are cabbage plants with the typical four-petalled cruciferous flowers. Both types bloom in a bright yellow and are similar in growth. They grow upright and are between 30 and 150 cm tall. The leaves are pinnate and serrated at the edge.
differences
botany
There are also hardly any differences in the botanical classification. Both species belong to the Brassicales (cruciferous) family. Yellow and white mustard are classified in the mustard genus (Sinapis). All other types of mustard, such as black and brown mustard, belong to the genus Brassica (cabbage) like the rapeseed varieties and are therefore more closely related to turnips.
left: black mustard, Brassica nigraright: oilseed rape: Brassica napus
leaves and stems
Although the leaves on both plants are similar, there are minor features that can be used to tell them apart if you look closely. Rapeseed leaves are less jagged than mustard leaves. The leaves and stems of both cabbage plants are pale green. Mustard stems are slightly hairy. Rape stalks, on the other hand, are bare or at most slightly downy.
sowing
Rapeseed varieties are biennial plants. Winter oilseed rape is mainly sown in agriculture. Sowing time is then in autumn. The leaf rosettes grow in late autumn and overwinter. The flowers appear the following spring and harvest begins when the plants have dried up.
Field mustard can be recognized by the fact that it is one year old. It is sown in spring and flowers the same year. Later, when the plants have withered, it is usually plowed under as green manure. If the mustard plants are to be used to produce food, they are harvested when the seeds are ripe.
Happen
Both Brassica species and Sinapis tend to self seeding. That is why they can also be found far away from fields, especially on rubble surfaces, roadsides or other smaller areas in nature. Oilseed rape plants can germinate again after harvest from spilled seed, but they will not flower again in the same year. There is no such thing as an autumn blossom, these are mustard plants.
smell of the flowers
The smell is typical of a blooming rapeseed field in spring. The yellow flowers smell very intense. Mustard blossoms can be recognized by the fact that they do not emit any odor. So a yellow flowering field in summer or early fall with no odor must be mustard plants.
heyday
Rapeseed blossoms appear as early as spring, around between April and May. The fields then shine in a sometimes strong, bright yellow and are visible from afar. Mustard flowers later or directly afterwards from June to September. When exactly the plants bloom, however, also depends on the sowing and the climate.
Different use
Rapeseed plants are used as animal feed in agriculture. Rapeseed oil for human consumption is extracted from the seeds. Spices are made from the seeds of mustard plants. Mustard seeds can be used whole, for pickling or when cooking food, or they can be ground into the different types of mustard.
However, the typical yellow field mustard is hardly used for spice production and at best mixed with other varieties. Its quality is inferior compared to other types of mustard. White, brown or black mustards contain higher quality ingredients and special mustard oils. The mustard plant is edible when it is young. The flower buds are similar to broccoli, and the leaves can be cooked and used as a vegetable. In any case, you should use home-grown plants or plant parts that are guaranteed not to be sprayed.
Mustard in agriculture
The main benefit of Sinapis is its use as a green manure. With its taproots, it succeeds in penetrating the soil deeply and also bringing deeper-lying nutrients to the surface. In tilled fields, both mustard and oilseed rape plants are considered weeds. For this reason, rapeseed fields are often treated with pesticides after harvest to prevent seeds from sprout.