The Carmel presents us with flowers in all seasons of the year. In this column, we will present one Carmel flower at a time, as it appears in the field, and you are invited to come and see it in one of the places where it blooms.

White mustard and field mustard

White mustard and field mustard are two species of plants in the cruciferous family, with yellow flowers and very similar structure in the flower and the entire plant. They are annual plants, erect, branched and tall - sometimes towering over a meter.

Both species bloom throughout the winter and into late spring, from November to May. Their inflorescences appear as clusters without stamens, and nectar glands are found at the bases of the stamens. The differences between the species are mainly reflected in the shape of the fruit, the angle of its attachment to the stem, and their preferred habitats.

The flowers of both species are bisexual, symmetrical, and include four yellowish, expanded sepals, and four yellow petals made up of a carpel and a stigma — a classic characteristic of the cruciferous family. The flower is relatively large compared to other mustard species, reaching 13 mm in length.

The fruit is between 2 and 5 cm long, and contains only 1–3 seeds. In white mustard, the fruit's sting protrudes at a right angle from the stem, unlike in field mustard, where the sting is at an acute angle. The fruit itself is divided into two parts: the lower part is hairy, whitish in color, covered with long, spreading hairs, and it opens with two veins; the upper part, called the "beak", is flat, sword-like, and its length exceeds half the fruit. In field mustard, on the other hand, the beak is shorter — about a third of the fruit's length — and it does not open.

White mustard is mainly common along roadsides, abandoned areas, and waste sites, while field mustard is more common in unsprayed fields. Both species are mainly common in the north and center of the country.

In Israel, the mustard group includes seven different species, belonging to five genera — all of which belong to the cruciferous family. Among them are two species of mustard, rapeseed, bottle gourd, and two species of cabbage. Most of them grow in dense patches along fields and roads. High-density growth exposes the plant to pests, especially insects. But these plants have a natural defense mechanism: they produce pungent substances called "mustard acids," which are found in all plant tissues. These acids harm insects that eat the plant and prevent them from reproducing.

For humans, the substance is harmless — on the contrary, its pungent taste is considered refreshing and pleasant. We use it culinary — we sow the seeds, grind them as a spice, and also eat the young leaves and flower buds — raw in salads or cooked.

ID

A place to meet the flower of the week

• Ramat Golda - in front of the house at 9 Golda Meir St., Haifa - next to a pine tree on the west side of the road.

If you go to visit the flower in the company of children, you can tell them the legend of the white mustard and the field mustard.

The Legend of White Mustard and Field Mustard

Once upon a time, in a vast field on the edge of the village, two brothers grew side by side: white mustard and field mustard. Both wore golden dresses of yellow blossoms, and from a distance they looked like a carpet of sunshine blooming on the ground.

But despite their similarity in appearance, the two brothers were not identical in character.

White mustard was gentle and modest. It loved to grow by the paths, listen to the conversations of children walking in the fields, and rejoice when pickers gently picked it to make stews and salads.

In contrast, the field mustard was wild and turbulent. It liked to burst in all directions, cover entire plots, and take over every corner of the open field.

One day a great storm broke out. The winds raged, the rain poured, and the whole field turned into a sea of ​​mud. The mustard in the field laughed at the wind and said:
"No storm will stop me! I will always come back!"
But White Mustard quietly leaned to the ground, hid among the low bushes, and waited for the storm to pass.

When the sun came out again after the storm, the field mustard began to grow again, filling the fields with its yellow flowers. But he noticed the farmers who had come to weed and uproot it, because their crops had been damaged by its wildness.

White mustard, on the other hand, did not invade the fields and remained mostly on the roadsides. People were happy to see it, to pick it gently and add it to their dishes.

Since the storm ended, the two brothers have divided the different habitats between them: the fields are filled with the wild yellow of field mustard, and the roadsides with the more modest yellow of white mustard. When the wind blows, they whisper to each other:
"Each in his own way, we are all part of the yellow mustard species that dominates the spring bloom."