Envoy at 11:16, 24 September 2007

2007-09-24T11:16:52Z

New page

{{Taxobox
| color = lightgreen
| name = Mustard
| image = Wild_Mustard.jpg
| image_caption = Wild Mustard (''Brassica campestris'')
| regnum = [[Plant]]ae
| divisio = [[Flowering plant|Magnoliophyta]]
| classis = [[Dicotyledon|Magnoliopsida]]
| ordo = [[Brassicales]]
| familia = [[Brassicaceae]]
| subdivision_ranks = Species
| subdivision =
See text.
}}

[[Image:WhiteMustard.jpg|thumb|right|Wild White Mustard (''Sinapis alba'')]]
[[Image:Sa yellow mustard.jpg|thumb|right|Yellow Mustard seeds]]
[[Image:Black-mustard-seeds.jpg|thumb|right|Black Mustard seeds]]

:''For the prepared condiment, see [[Mustard (condiment)]]. For other uses of the term "mustard," see [[Mustard]]''.

'''Mustards''' are several plant species in the genera ''[[Brassica]]'' and ''[[Sinapis]]'' whose small [[mustard seed]]s are used as a [[spice]] and, by grinding and mixing them with water, vinegar or other liquids, are turned into a [[condiment]] also known as [[Mustard (condiment)|mustard]]. The seeds are also pressed to make [[mustard oil]], and the [[leaf vegetable|edible leaves]] can be eaten as mustard greens.

Mild white mustard (''[[white mustard|Sinapis hirta]]'') grows wild in [[North Africa]], the [[Middle East]] and [[Mediterranean]] Europe and has spread farther by long [[cultivation]]; brown or Indian mustard (''[[Brassica juncea|B. juncea]]''), originally from the foothills of the [[Himalaya]], is grown commercially in the [[United Kingdom|UK]], [[Canada]] and the [[United States|US]]; black mustard (''[[Brassica nigra|B. nigra]]'') in [[Argentina]], [[Chile]], the [[United States|US]] and some European countries. Canada grows 90% of all the mustard seed for the international market.

In addition to the mustards, the genus ''Brassica'' also includes [[cabbage]]s, [[cauliflower]], [[rapeseed]] and [[Turnip (Brassica rapa)|turnip]]s.

Although the varieties of mustard are well-established crops in [[Hellenistic]] and [[Roman Empire|Roman]] times, which leads to the assumption that it was brought into cultivation at an earlier time, Zohary and Hopf note that "there are almost no archeological records available for any of these crops." Wild forms of mustard and its relatives the [[radish]] and [[turnip]] can be found over west Asia and Europe, suggesting that their domestication took place somewhere in that area. However Zohary and Hopf conclude, "Suggestions as to the origins of these plants are necessarily based on linguistic considerations."<ref>Daniel Zohary and Maria Hopf, ''Domestication of plants in the Old World'', third edition (Oxford: University Press, 2000), p. 139</ref>

There has been recent research into varieties of mustards that have a high oil content for use in the production of [[biodiesel]], a [[renewable energy|renewable]] liquid fuel similar to [[diesel]] fuel. The biodiesel made from mustard oil has good cold flow properties and [[cetane number|cetane ratings]]. The leftover meal after pressing out the oil has also been found to be an effective [[pesticide]]. [http://www.bioproducts-bioenergy.gov/pdfs/bcota/abstracts/19/z347.pdf]

An interesting [[Genetics|genetic]] relationship between many [[species]] of mustard has been observed, and is described as the [[Triangle of U]].

===Diseases===
{{Main|List of mustard diseases}}

== Notes ==
<references/>

[[Category:Brassica]]
[[Category:Leaf vegetables]]
[[Category:Medicinal plants]]

{{Brassicales-stub}}

Mustard plant - Revision history

Envoy at 11:16, 24 September 2007