Buchan Weed (Hirschfeldia incana).

Buchan Weed aka Hairy Brassica, and Hoary Mustard is known as Short Pod Mustard in the USA. It is an annual or biennial (sometimes perennial), herb that grows up to 100 cm tall and has pale yellow flowers. It is found in the ACT, NSW, QLD, SA, TAS, VIC, and WA.

The distribution map is courtesy of The Living Atlas of Australia.

After you read this, you will be able to:

• Identify capeweed Buchan Weed, Hairy Brassica, and Hoary Mustard.
• Know the habitat of Buchan Weed, Hairy Brassica, and Hoary Mustard.
• Know the best options to control Buchan Weed, Hairy Brassica, and Hoary Mustard

 

 

Hoary Mustard has a slender, deep taproot with branching laterals in the top 300 mm of soil.

Category: Herb.

Photosynthetic Pathway: C3 Weed.

Flower: Flowers consist of four pale purple veined yellow petals, and each petal is 6 – 9 mm long.

Height: Bushan Weed can grow up to 100 cm tall.

Leaf length: The lower leaves are up to 350 mm long, deeply lobed to the stem. The upper leaves look the same as the lower leaves, but are smaller, diminishing in size, and number.

Reproduction: Hairy Brassica only reproduces by seed, that is spread by water, and human activity. Seeds germinate through the Autumn, and these grow slowly until mid-winter when flowering stems develop. It flowers from September to February.

The weed is problematic as it produces a large number of seeds that can live in the ground for several years. The seeds infest grain crops and can contaminate animal fodder.

 

Comments: The stems and leaves have a cover of stiff, simple bristle-like hairs.

 

Habitat: Buchan Weed is an indicator weed of dry or moist soil, and thrives under warm conditions in N rich soils. You often find this weed in roadsides, wasteland, degraded pastures, orchards and vineyards

 

More on lawn and turf grass weeds is in our weed ID chart.

 

 

 

 

Both cultural and chemical control control Hoary Mustard in your lawn and turf.

 

 

 

 

 

• Dense healthy turfgrass helps prevents Short Pod Mustard from establishing.
• You can pull individual plants out by hand, but you must take care to remove as much of the taproot as possible. This is because plants are able to re-shoot from pieces of root left in the soil. If you carry on doing this over a number of years you will eventually exhaust the seed bank.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Non selective options include Glyphosate (Rapid Fire 800), Numchuk Quad and Cortex Duo.

If you use Glyphosate and water quality is an issue then we recommend the use of ProForce Manta Ray.