TWO ADDITIONS TO OUR UST OF CRUCIFERAE 
R. I. CRATTY 
Two species of the mustard family not heretofore recorded 
from Iowa, so far a's is known to the writer, have recently come 
to his notice, namely; Brassica juncea (L) Cosson, or Indian 
mustard, and Lepidium perfoliatum L. a noteworthy species of 
pepper-grass. 
The credit for detecting the former is due Miss Charlotte M. 
King, Seed Analyst of the Iowa State College, who found the 
seed in a sample of timothy seed received from Pocahontas county 
for testing as to purity and germination. From these seeds the 
writer last season grew some plants in his garden for the purpose 
of study. More recently Miss King has detected it as an im- 
purity in Melilotus indie a seed from Delaware county, and in 
alfalfa seed from Orange City, and occasionally in clover and 
rape seed. 
This plant, a native of Asia, apparently has been quite com- 
mon in tlie northern part of the state for the past twenty-five 
years, but has been confused with the equally noxious Brassica 
arvensis (L) Kuntze, both of which were introduced with flax 
seed, and have since become very widely distributed over the 
state. Wherever mustards occur in grain fields, one or both of 
these is likely to be found. 
The two plants are easily distinguished! when once they are 
understood, especially when they are in fruit. B. arvensis has 
the mature fruit pods on short, stalky pedicels, the leaves are 
rough or bristly, and the seeds are smooth. B. juncea has the 
mature pods or slender pedicels which are about twice the length 
of those of R. arvensis, the leaves and stems are smooth through- 
out and, the ripe seeds are conspicuously covered with minute 
pits. Brassica nigra (L) Koch, the common black mustard, to 
which B. juncea is more closely related than to B. arvensis, is our 
most common mustard on roadsides and in waste places. It is 
a much taller species with long slender fruiting branches with 
appressed pedicels and small dark seeds. In the flowering state 
B. juncea and B, nigra look much alike, the leaves being very 
