Habit: Seedlings have club-shaped cotyledons. Mature plants first produce a basal rosette then flowering stems reaching 30 cm to 1 m tall. Root is made up of a slender branching taproot.
Leaves: Leaves are pinnately lobed with deeply toothed margins. Both sides of the leaves are covered with bristly hairs and the end of the leaf has the largest segment.
Identifying Characteristics: Yellow flower petals are less than 3 mm long and fruit less than 1.5 cm long.
Flower Seed Head: Clusters of yellow flowers on the ends of long flower stems appear June through September. Flowers have 4 petals 1 to 2.5 mm long.
Seed Fruit: Fruit is awl shaped measuring less than 1.5 cm in length with 2 compartments containing 20 seeds each. Seeds 1-1.5 mm long, are egg or triangle shaped and reddish brown in color.
Where Found: Across most of the United States this species prefers dry loamy, sandy, or stony soils. Nursery, horticultural and agricultural crops are all home to hedge mustard.