Flower profile
Annual bastard cabbage
Rapistrum rugosum
Annual bastard cabbage (Rapistrum rugosum) is a flowering plant in the Brassicaceae family, introduced in the lower 48 states, blooming mostly March–April across the U.S.
Annual bastard cabbage is a wildflower that USDA PLANTS lists as introduced in the lower 48 states. In Texas it's most often seen in bloom in March–April.
*iNaturalist research-grade observations, as of October 17, 2026.
On our lists for: Texas
Quick look
Rapistrum rugosum is a species of flowering plant in the mustard family commonly known as bastard cabbage or annual bastard cabbage, as well as "common giant mustard", "turnipweed", "ball mustard", "wild turnip", "wild rape", or "tall mustard-weed". It is native to parts of Eurasia and Africa, but is present throughout the world as an introduced species and a common weed. It is an invasive species in many areas.
- It belongs to the Brassicaceae family. iNaturalist
- USDA PLANTS describes it as an herb (forb) with a annual life cycle. USDA PLANTS
- USDA PLANTS lists it as introduced in the lower 48 states and records it in 17 states. USDA PLANTS
- NatureServe lists it as not native to Texas. NatureServe
- In Texas, most iNaturalist sightings of it in flower come in March–April. iNaturalist
- iNaturalist has 10,305 research-grade sightings of it in Texas, ranking #53 among the 169 flowers on our Texas list. iNaturalist
When does it bloom?
In Texas, most flowering sightings come in March–April.
Conservation status
- Federal (U.S. ESA)
- Not listed No U.S. Endangered Species Act listing in the USFWS ECOS database. USFWS ECOS
- NatureServe global
- GNR Not yet ranked worldwide. NatureServe
- Texas
- Not listed Not on Texas endangered and threatened plants (31 Tex. Admin. Code § 69.8), as listed by Texas Parks and Wildlife. NatureServe: SNA, not applicable (usually because it isn't native there) in Texas. 31 TAC 69.8
- Rare elsewhere
- No other U.S. state ranks it S1, S2, SH or SX.
Checked October 17, 2026. Rankings and lists can change, so follow the links for the latest.
Can you eat it?
None of the sources we checked (NC State Extension (no page for this plant), USDA PLANTS) say whether it's edible or poisonous for people.
It isn't on the ASPCA plant list.
🌿 Never eat a wild plant unless you're certain of its ID; this isn't medical advice. Worried about a person? Call Poison Control at 1-800-222-1222. Worried about a pet? Call your vet.
Where does it grow?
USDA PLANTS records annual bastard cabbage in 17 states.
recorded by USDA PLANTS on our state lists not recorded
See the full list of states
California, Hawaii, Illinois, Indiana, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Missouri, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Wisconsin.
Texas counties with USDA records: Bell, Bexar, Blanco, Brazos, Brewster, Collin, Comal, Crockett, Dallas, Gillespie, Gonzales, Grayson, Grimes, Hays, Kaufman, Kenedy, Kimble, McLennan, Milam, Navarro, Pecos, Robertson, San Saba, Sutton, Tarrant, Travis, Uvalde, Val Verde, Washington.
Names, range and relatives
Native status by region (USDA PLANTS): Canada: Waif (occasional, not established); Hawaii: Introduced; Lower 48 states: Introduced.
Other scientific names (synonyms in USDA PLANTS): Myagrum rugosum.
County records: USDA PLANTS lists it in 48 counties across 11 states; the most are in Texas (29), New York (4), California (3).
More from the Brassicaceae family (24 on Bloomipedia; most observed first): Garlic mustard, Dame's rocket, Cut-leaved toothwort, Wild radish, Milkmaids, Annual honesty, Western wallflower, Hoary alyssum.
More Texas flowers
Sources
- USDA, NRCS. PLANTS Database, profile RARU.
- iNaturalist, Rapistrum rugosum: taxonomy, research-grade observation counts and “Flowering” annotations, retrieved October 17, 2026.
- Wikipedia, Rapistrum rugosum (lead quoted under CC BY-SA 4.0).
- Texas: Texas endangered and threatened plants (31 Tex. Admin. Code § 69.8), as listed by Texas Parks and Wildlife.
- Texas: Texas noxious and invasive plant list (4 Tex. Admin. Code § 19.300(a)).
- USFWS, ECOS species database (ESA listing check), October 17, 2026.
- NatureServe Explorer, Rapistrum rugosum (global and state ranks).
- Edibility and toxicity: no source found (marked "not well documented").
- Photo: Linda Jo Conn via iNaturalist · CC BY 4.0 · resized.