Plant Details

Sinapis alba

White mustard

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Common names

32 names · 27 languages
EnglishYour language
Other languages (26)
Dutch
  • Gele mosterd
  • Witte mosterd[2]
French
  • Moutarde blanche[2]
Catalan
Chinese (Simplified)
Chinese (Traditional)
Czech
  • hořčice setá[2]
Danish
  • Gul sennep[2]
Finnish
  • keltasinappi[2]
German
Greek
  • Αγριόβρουβα[2]
  • Λαψανίδα[2]
  • Σινάπι το λευκό[2]
Hebrew
  • חרדל לבן[2]
Hindi
  • सरसों[2]
Hungarian
  • fehér mustár[2]
Italian
  • Senape bianca[2]
Japanese
  • シロガラシ[2]
Lithuanian
  • Baltoji garstyčia[2]
Norwegian
  • hvitsennep[2]
Polish
  • gorczyca biała[2]
Portuguese
  • mostarda-branca[2]
  • Mostardeira-branca[2]
Russian
  • Горчица белая[2]
Slovak
  • horčica biela[2]
Slovenian
  • bela gorjušica[2]
Spanish
Swedish
Turkish
Ukrainian
  • Гірчиця біла[2]
Sources & name notes (2)

Names recorded in our plant catalogue and botanical sources, grouped by language. Usage can vary by region.

Numbered references identify names recorded by an external source. Other names are from our plant catalogue.

[1] Catalogue of Life 2026-08-20 — Sinapis alba L. ↗

Common names from World Plants, version 26.05, reproduced in Catalogue of Life 2026-08-20. License: CC BY.

Source records
  • Weißer Senf (DE); White Mustard (EN); Mostaza blanca (ES) — VernacularName.tsv, line 147138; taxon 4XJCN.
[2] Sinapis alba — iNaturalist taxon names ↗

Community-curated iNaturalist taxonomy; common-name attestation, not an independent botanical determination.

Source records
  • White Mustard — results[0].names[1]; taxon id 79123; Sinapis alba.
  • חרדל לבן — results[0].names[3]; taxon id 79123; Sinapis alba.
  • Moutarde blanche — results[0].names[4]; taxon id 79123; Sinapis alba.
  • Mostaza blanca — results[0].names[5]; taxon id 79123; Sinapis alba.
  • Горчица белая — results[0].names[6]; taxon id 79123; Sinapis alba.
  • Mostardeira-branca — results[0].names[7]; taxon id 79123; Sinapis alba.
  • hvitsennep — results[0].names[8]; taxon id 79123; Sinapis alba.
  • keltasinappi — results[0].names[9]; taxon id 79123; Sinapis alba.
  • Weißer Senf — results[0].names[10]; taxon id 79123; Sinapis alba.
  • hořčice setá — results[0].names[11]; taxon id 79123; Sinapis alba.
  • Λαψανίδα — results[0].names[12]; taxon id 79123; Sinapis alba.
  • Baltoji garstyčia — results[0].names[13]; taxon id 79123; Sinapis alba.
  • Mostaza de hoja — results[0].names[14]; taxon id 79123; Sinapis alba.
  • シロガラシ — results[0].names[15]; taxon id 79123; Sinapis alba.
  • 白芥菜 — results[0].names[16]; taxon id 79123; Sinapis alba.
  • 白芥菜 — results[0].names[17]; taxon id 79123; Sinapis alba.
  • Mostassa — results[0].names[18]; taxon id 79123; Sinapis alba.
  • Σινάπι το λευκό — results[0].names[19]; taxon id 79123; Sinapis alba.
  • Αγριόβρουβα — results[0].names[20]; taxon id 79123; Sinapis alba.
  • vitsenap — results[0].names[21]; taxon id 79123; Sinapis alba.
  • Witte mosterd — results[0].names[22]; taxon id 79123; Sinapis alba.
  • Senape bianca — results[0].names[23]; taxon id 79123; Sinapis alba.
  • Gul sennep — results[0].names[24]; taxon id 79123; Sinapis alba.
  • gorczyca biała — results[0].names[25]; taxon id 79123; Sinapis alba.
  • Гірчиця біла — results[0].names[26]; taxon id 79123; Sinapis alba.
  • fehér mustár — results[0].names[27]; taxon id 79123; Sinapis alba.
  • bela gorjušica — results[0].names[28]; taxon id 79123; Sinapis alba.
  • सरसों — results[0].names[29]; taxon id 79123; Sinapis alba.
  • Akhardal — results[0].names[30]; taxon id 79123; Sinapis alba.
  • mostarda-branca — results[0].names[31]; taxon id 79123; Sinapis alba.
  • horčica biela — results[0].names[32]; taxon id 79123; Sinapis alba.

General information

Scientific name: Sinapis alba
Accepted name (Kew): Sinapis alba L. View name reference ↗

Accepted in the cited Kew taxonomic treatment.

Sources [1] [2]
Botanical family: Brassicaceae

Kew's family placement for the genus Sinapis (WCVP v16).

Sources [1]
Also known as: White mustard
Images: Google Images

Plant characteristics

Layer: Herbaceous
Catalogue size class: Small
Height: 0.60 m
Spread: 0.30 m
Growth rate: Slow
Foliage: None

Growing conditions

USDA hardiness: 5-9
Soil moisture:
Moist
Soil:
Sand (light) Loam (medium) Clay (heavy)
pH:
Acidic Neutral Alkaline
Light:
Partial shade, Full sun

Uses

Edible parts:
Leaves, Oil, Seed, Condiment
Edibility rating:
(3)
Medicinal rating:
(3)
Functions:
Nitrogen fixer, Oil

Description

Leaves - can be consumed both raw and cooked. They have a spicy flavor, especially when eaten raw. Young leaves are often used as a flavor enhancer in salads, while older leaves serve as a vegetable. Seeds - can be eaten raw after they have germinated for about 4 days. They have a spicy taste and are often added to salads. The seeds can be ground into a powder and used as a flavor enhancer, known commercially as 'yellow mustard.' This type of mustard is milder than black mustard from Brassica nigra. The heat of the mustard develops when cold water is added to the ground seeds - an enzyme (myrosin) reacts with a glycoside (sinigrin) to produce a sulfur compound. This reaction lasts about 10-15 minutes. Mustard can be mixed with hot water or vinegar, or salt can be added.

Harvest

Harvest starts: 01/07
Harvest ends: 15/08

Sources and references

References for the information marked with source numbers on this page.

Sources checked
  1. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew World Checklist of Vascular Plants, version 16, extracted 4 June 2026
    Supports: Botanical familyTaxonomy
    Relevant sections
    • Botanical family: WCVP v16, wcvp_names.csv row 207278; name ID 2476410; Sinapis L.. Family column.
    • Taxonomy: WCVP v16, wcvp_names.csv row 207274; name ID 2476404; Sinapis alba L..

    Source checked on .

    Source data licence: CC BY 3.0.

  2. Catalogue of Life Catalogue of Life 2026-08-20 — Sinapis alba

    Taxonomic data from World Plants, version 26.05, reproduced in Catalogue of Life 2026-08-20.

    Supports: Taxonomy
    Relevant sections
    • Taxonomy: COL 2026-08-20, NameUsage.tsv line 1224275, ID 4XJCN: Sinapis alba L. (accepted).

    Source checked on .