Black Mustard

Rhamphospermum nigrum

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Not native

Not native to Virginia. How scores work Is it native here?

Profile 12%

Rhamphospermum nigrum — whole photograph — Katrin Schneider / korina.info · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Original photograph

At a glance

Not yet recorded · Height · Spread · Light · Soil · Life cycle · Leaves · Bloom

This plant is missing most of its facts, so Quercus is looking them up in old botany books.

Recorded in 23 Virginia counties.

Ecological relationships

Who uses this plant?

What these records mean

65CaterpillarsGenus host records with ranges including VA

Genus host records with ranges including VA · Brassica

Abagrotis alternataGreater Red Dart, Mottled Grey Cutworm
Acharia stimuleaSaddleback Caterpillar Moth
Agnorisma badinodisPale-Banded Dart
Agrotis gladiariaSwordsman Dart, Clay-Backed Cut-Worm
Agrotis ipsilonIpsilon Dart, Black Cutworm, Greasy Cutworm
Agrotis venerabilisVenerable Dart, Dusky Cut-Worm
Agrotis vetustaOld Man Dart
Anagrapha falciferaCelery Looper Moth
Anarta trifoliiThe Nutmeg, Clover Cutworm
Anatrachyntis badiaFlorida Pink Scavanger Caterpillar

Show all 65

Anicla infectaGreen Cutworm Moth
Apamea amputatrixYellow-Headed Cutworm Moth
Apamea devastatorGlassy Borer, Glassy Cutworm Moth
Autographa precationisCommon Looper Moth
Calpodes ethliusBrazilian Skipper, Canna Skipper, Canna Leafroller
Chloridea virescensTobacco Budworm Moth
Chrysodeixis includensSoybean Looper Moth
Colias eurythemeOrange Sulphur, Alfalfa Butterfly
Condica sutorThe Cobbler, Cobbler Groundling
Derrima stellataPink Star
Dichomeris bolizeGlaser's Dichomeris Moth
Elasmopalpus lignosellaLesser Cornstalk Borer
Estigmene acreaSalt Marsh Moth, Acrea Moth
Euphyia intermediataSharp-Angled Carpet Moth, The Intermediate
Eustixia pupulaSpotted Peppergrass Moth
Euxoa messoriaReaper Dart, Darksided Cutworm, Dark-Sided Cutworm
Euxoa tessellataTessellate Dart, Striped Cutworm
Evergestis pallidataPurple-Backed Cabbageworm Moth
Evergestis rimosalisCross-Striped Cabbageworm, Cross-Shaped Cabbageworm
Feltia herilisMaster's Dart
Feltia jaculiferaDingy Cutworm
Feltia subgothicaSubgothic Dart
Feltia subterraneaSubterranean Dart, Granulate Cutworm
Helicoverpa zeaCorn Earworm Moth
Herpetogramma bipunctalisSouthern Beet Webworm, Two-Spotted Herpetogramma
Hyles lineataWhite-Lined Sphinx
Hypercompe scriboniaGiant Leopard Moth, Great Leopard Moth
Lacanobia subjunctaSpeckled Arches, Subdues Arches, Harnessed Mamestra, Speckled Cutworm Moth, Grand Arches?(incorrectly)
Lacinipolia renigeraBristly Ground Cat, Bristly Cutworm Moth, Kidney Spotted "Mamestra"
Manduca sextaCarolina Sphinx, Tomatoe Sphinx, Tobacco Hornworm
Megalographa bilobaBilobed Looper Moth
Melanchra pictaPainted Arches, Zebra Caterpillar Moth
Mythimna unipunctaArmyworm Moth, White Speck
Nephelodes miniansBronzed Cutworm
Pandemis lamprosanaWoodgrain Leafroller
Papaipema nebrisStalk Borer
Pieris virginiensisWest Virginia White
Pontia protodiceCheckered White
Pyrrhia ciliscaAmerican Bordered Sallow, Noble Sun Moth
Spaelotis clandestinaClandestine Dart, W-Marked Cutworm
Spilosoma virginicaVirginian Tiger Moth, Yellow Woolybear Moth, Yellow Bear
Spodoptera dolichosSweetpotato Armyworm, Dolichos Armyworm, Large Cotton Armyworm
Spodoptera frugiperdaFall Armyworm Moth
Spodoptera ornithogalliYellow-Striped Armyworm Moth, Cotton Cutworm
Spoladea recurvalisHawaiian Beet Webworm
Sunira bicoloragoBicolored Sallow
Trichoplusia niNi Moth, Cabbage Looper Moth
Trichordestra legitimaStriped Garden Caterpillar Moth
Udea rubigalisCelery Leaftier
Urbanus proteusLong-Tailed Skipper, Bean Leaf Roller
Xanthorhoe iduataBroken-banded Carpet
Xanthorhoe labradorensisLabrador Carpet, Packard’s Carpet
Xestia c-nigrumSpotted Cut-Worm, Setaceous Hebrew Character, Lesser Black-letter Dart
Xestia dolosaGreater Black-Letter Dart, Greater Spotted Cutworm
Xestia smithiiSmith's Dart

Shropshire & Tallamy 2025, Lepidoptera of North America north of Mexico, ZooKeys 1261 (ODbL)

—BeesSoutheastern regional records

1Specialist beesPollen specialists

Pollen specialists · Brassica

Andrena arabis

Smith, Bachelder, Russell, Morales, Mosher & Seltmann 2024, Bee-Specialization-Modeling v0.6.1 (specialist host table compiled from J. Fowler's pollen specialist bee lists), Zenodo, CC BY 4.0

14BirdsRecorded genus food-resource interactions; not a state feeding claim

Recorded genus food-resource interactions; not a state feeding claim · Brassica

Alectoris chukarChukar
Anthus rubescensAmerican Pipit
Callipepla californicaCalifornia Quail
Haemorhous mexicanusHouse Finch
Junco hyemalisDark-eyed Junco
Melospiza melodiaSong Sparrow
Melozone crissalisCalifornia Towhee
Perdix perdixGray Partridge
Pinicola enucleatorPine Grosbeak
Spinus psaltriaLesser Goldfinch

Show all 14

Spizelloides arboreaAmerican Tree Sparrow
Zenaida macrouraMourning Dove
Zonotrichia atricapillaGolden-crowned Sparrow
Zonotrichia leucophrysWhite-crowned Sparrow

Hurlbert, Olsen, Sawyer & Winner 2021, Avian Diet Database, Scientific Data 8: 260 (CC0)

Direct food only: birds recorded eating this genus across North America. Caterpillars on host plants also feed nesting birds. NC Native Plant Society: butterfly gardening

Growing and identification

Plant details

Family: Brassicaceae

What its natural habitat tells you

Safety has not been reviewed for this plant; check toxicity and thorns before planting.

Also known as

Brassica nigra; mustard

Conservation status

Virginia rank	SNA
Global rank	GNR
VA status	Not verified
Federal status	Not verified

Conservation source Global and federal source

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