Another common name.—Yellow mustard. (Fig. 31.)
Fig. 31.—White mustard (Sinapis alba L.).
Range and habitat.—White mustard is a weed found in cultivated land along waysides and fence rows, but is not so abundant nor so widely distributed as the black mustard. It is naturalized in this country from Europe.
Description.—This plant is very similar to black mustard, but is smaller (growing only about 1 to 2 feet tall), bright green, but the flowers and seeds are much larger, and the rough-hairy pods with their long, sickle-shaped beaks are spreading instead of being pressed against the stem. The flowers are paler yellow than those of the fore-going species. The divisions of the leaves reach to the midrib, the leaves are rough-hairy, and the pods bristly. The seeds are pale yellow and smooth.
Collection and uses of seeds.—The seeds are to be collected in the same manner as those of black mustard. White mustard seed has no odor in its entire state, and when water is added in grinding it the odor does not become so pronounced as in the case of black mustard, neither is the taste so pungent.
In medicine mustard seeds are used principally in the preparation of plasters and poultices. They are used also in dyspepsia, and in large doses act as an emetic.
Imports and prices.—The imports into the United States of black and white mustard together during the fiscal year ended June 30, 1903, amounted to 5,302,876 pounds. The price ranges from 3 to 6 cents per pound for both the black and white mustard seeds.