Weeds of Australia - Fact Sheet

Top Scientific Name Family Common Names Origin Naturalised Distribution Notes

Scientific Name

Sisymbrium erysimoides Desf.

Family

Brassicaceae (Queensland, New South Wales, the ACT, Victoria, Tasmania, Western Australia and the Northern Territory)
Cruciferae (South Australia)

Common Names

French rocket, Mediterranean rocket, smooth mustard

Origin

Native to northern Africa, the Azores, the Madeira Islands, the Canary Islands, parts of southern Europe, the middle-east, western Asia and Pakistan.

It has sometimes also been considered to be native to large parts of inland Australia.

Naturalised Distribution

Probably widely naturalised in southern and central Australia (i.e. inland southern and central Queensland, western and New South Wales, western and central Victoria, South Australia, the southern parts of the Northern Territory, and the southern and western parts of Western Australia).

Widely naturalised on other parts of the world, including in south-western USA (i.e. California), New Zealand and New Caledonia.

Notes

Smooth mustard (Sisymbrium erysimoides) is mainly found in the drier parts of southern Australia, where it is a weed of crops, pastures, roadsides, parks, gardens, disturbed sites and waste areas. However, it also invades riparian vegetation, grasslands, shrublands and open woodlands, and is sometimes regarded as an environmental weed in Victoria, New South Wales, Western Australia and the Northern Territory.