A Little Bit More
Garlic Mustard (Alliaria petiolata) is not a North American plant but now that it’s here, it has really become common. In Europe, this plant was often added to salads for its mildly garlic flavor but its food value is greatly outweighed by its ability to outcompete our native plants for growing space. Garlic Mustard is able to grow along roadsides and even thrive beneath the heavy shade of the forest where it may carpet the forest floor at the expense of our own plants such as Spring Beauty, Trout Lily, and trilliums. Furthermore, this alien plant is able to produce chemicals that inhibit the growth of other plants and this too has helped it flourish at the expense of native plants. Some locations where this Garlic Mustard is well established have a greatly diminished diversity of plant life; even seedling trees being inhibited from growth.
Garlic Mustard is a member of the mustard family, Cruciferae (we have many native mustards) and its biennial growth pattern means that each plant lives two years, rather than one. As the unit poster point out, in its first growing season, this plant produces a close-to-the-ground rosette that is easily overlooked. In its second growing season, the plant uses stored food in its root to grow rather tall (.3-1 meter) and produces its more identifiable stalk and flowers. Landowners need to be aware of the two year cycle of this plant so eradication efforts can be more effective. Even if all of the flowering plants are pulled one year, the rosettes will sprout new flowering plants in the next. Furthermore, since seeds can remain viable for up to 5 years before germination, vigilance is needed to ensure that Garlic Mustard won’t rear its ugly head within that time frame.
Activities
Science – Smelly!
Objectives: Recognize that many of the odors we associate with foods, come from an assortment of different plants
Materials: An assortment of “smelly” foods (your choice)
Our unit discusses Garlic Mustard, an invasive plant that does indeed have a garlic odor when its leaves are crushed. In fact, we get many of our tasty/smelly food additives from a wide assortment of plants. These additives add a variety of flavors and odors to our recipes and many are used almost daily in our kitchens.
I’m suggesting that you raid your spice cupboard and bring in an assortment of the spices that you regularly use for your own home cooking. To make this a fun exercise, you can provide students with a list of the various materials first and see if they can identify them by smell – some will be quite familiar and others, probably not.
Be sure your material is as fresh as possible to ensure maximum odor
Some possible choices for this “smell” test include the following:
- Oregano
- Sage
- Rosemary
- Paprika
- Cloves
- Nutmeg
- Cinnamon
- Garlic powder
- Whatever you have available that has a distinct (not “unpleasant”) odor
1. Hand out a list of the ingredients (list items in random order) you plan to share with students
2. Instruct the students to place the appropriate letter (see list of items) next to the name of each correct product they’re smelling
3. Pass one item around the room, one at a time, so all can smell and then make their choice
4. Once all items have been passed around and all have had a chance to note on their paper, go over the list so they can confirm which ones they knew and those they did not. Students may want you to pass the ingredients around for another smell test
Key Concepts
Growth and Development, Environmental Issues, Adaptations and Diversity, Identification, Populations and Ecosystems
Questions
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