SINAPIS ALBA. WHITE MUSTARD. 
Class XV. TETR ADYNAMIA.— Order II. SILIQUOSA. 
Natural Order, CRUCIFERS. THE CRUCIFEROUS TRIBE. 
Fig. (a) represents a lower leaf; (6) the stamen, pistil, and glands; (d) a pod or silique; (e) a seed to show the incumbent 
pleurorhizous radicle. 
There are two species of Mustard admitted into our national pharmacopoeias : the White Mustard, sinapis 
alba, and the Black, or Common, sinapis nigra. Both are indigenous annuals, growing naturally in fields, 
and both have been cultivated here, and in most parts of Europe, for an unknown period. The White 
Mustard flowers in June, and ripens its seed in J uly. 
White Mustard has a small tapering root. The stem is erect, branched, rough, with slender reflexed 
hairs, and rises to the height of about two feet. The leaves are lyrate, deeply cut, roughish, and of a bright 
green colour. The flowers are yellow, and form terminal racemes, each having four petals disposed in the 
form of a cross. The leaves of the calyx are linear, green, and spread horizontally. The filaments, germen, 
and pistil, resemble those of the following species. The flowers are succeeded by short, two edged, very 
tumid pods, spreading on nearly horizontal stalks, rough, with numerous minute reflexed bristles, inter- 
spersed with larger upright ones ; the beak is longer than the pod, is bristly, sword-shaped, curved upwards, 
and terminated by the compressed style and cloven stigma. The seeds are rather large, few, and of a pale 
yellowish brown colour. 
SINAPIS NIGRA. -COMMON BLACK MUSTARD. 
Fig. (c) represents a pod or silique of common mustard burst open, showing the situation of the seeds. 
Common Mustard sends up a smooth, branched stem, which is taller and more spreading than the pre- 
ceding, to the height of three or four feet. The lower leaves are large, lyrate, rough, variously lobed and 
toothed; the upper ones petioled, smooth, lanceolate, entire, and spreading or hanging downwards. The 
flowers are pale yellow, and smaller than the preceding. The calyx is yellowish and spreading; petals obo- 
vate; filaments simple, erect, supporting oblong anthers; germen cylindrical, tapering into a short style, 
which is crowned with a knobbed stigma. The pods are small, smooth, obtusely quadrangular, pressed 
close to the stem, and terminated by the permanent style and capitate stigma. The seeds are numerous, 
round, shining, and of a dark brown colour. The French call the plant “ sdnevd,” and confine the term 
ee moutarde” to prepared table mustard. 
The generic name Sinapis, which occurs, with slight variations in the orthography, in the works of 
Plautus, Pliny, and Columella, is retained in our modern nomenclature from these celebrated authors. 
Theophrastus and Dioscorides call it Itvtyiti. De Theis conjectures that this word comes from 
Nap, a Celtic name for all plants allied to the radish. The colour of the respective seeds suggested the 
trivial appellations, alba and nigra. M ustard, moutarde, mosterd, &c., are said to be all contracted cor- 
ruptions of mustum arde ns, hot must : the sweet must of new wine being one of the old ingredients in mus- 
tard prepared for dietetic uses; a practice which is still adhered to by the French. In moistening mustard 
powder for the table both the flavour and appearance are improved by mixing it with rich milk ; but this 
mixture has the disadvantage of not keeping good for more than a couple of days. 
Distinctive Characters. — The difference in point of form betwixt the leaves and pods of the pre- 
sent species, and those of the preceding sort, distinguish the two plants at once. The Black Mustard is a 
taller plant than the white ; the upper leaves of the black are narrow and pendant, the flowers small, the 
pods quite smooth, and lying close to the stem ; while in the white, the flowers are large, the pods rough or 
hairy, and standing out from the stalk. 
As substitutes for either the black or common Mustard, most of the Cruciferae may be used, especially 
the Sinapis arvensis, Myagrum sativum, Sisymbrium officinale, the Erysimum, Lepidium, Turrites, Brassica, 
Sinapis orientalis, Chinensis, and brasicata ; the latter is commonly cultivated in China. The Raphanus 
Raphanistrum, or wild radish, is said to be so complete a substitute, that the seeds are often separated in the 
process of cleaning grain by farmers, and sold to the mustard or oil millers, who dispose of it as Durham 
Mustard. 
Professor Brande states that the bright yellow powder sold under the name of flour of mustard, and 
used at the table, is a compound of black and pale mustard-seed, Cayenne pepper, wheat flower and 
