How do you identify garlic mustard?

Distinctive Features of Garlic Mustard Plants Basal rosettes stay green in fall and winter; spring growth starts very early. Crushed rosettes and new foliage have an odor of garlic. The white tap root has an S-shaped curve at the top as opposed to the roots of violets which grow straight down. Click to see full answer. Also know, how can you tell garlic mustard?The seed pods look like those of several other mustard (Brassicaceae) species. The easiest way to distinguish garlic mustard from these plant families is to crush the leaves. If they emit a strong garlic smell, then the plant is most likely garlic mustard.Likewise, what does garlic mustard smell like? Edible Parts Flowers can be chopped and tossed into salads. The roots can be collected in early spring and again in late fall, when no flower stalks are present. Garlic mustard roots taste very spicy somewhat like horseradish. In the fall the seed can be collected and eaten. Likewise, what are the signs and symptoms of garlic mustard? Lower leaves are kidney-shaped with scalloped edges. Leaves feel hairless, and the root has an “S” or “L” shape just below the stem base. In spring, roots and new leaves smell like garlic, and small, four-petal white flowers appear clustered at stem ends, followed by long, skinny seedpods.How do you grow garlic mustard?Garlic mustard has a biennial life cycle, that is, it takes two years to fully mature and produce seeds. Seeds germinate in February to early March of the first year and grow into a short rosette by the middle of the summer. In the plant’s second year, a stalk develops, flowers form, and the plant dies by June.