Conringia celebrates the German physician Dr. Hermann Conring (1606-1681).
Hares ear refers to the shape of the leaf.
Other Names:
Hare's-ear Cabbage
Hare's-ear Mustard
Treacle Mustard
Wild Cabbage
Summary:
An erect, white flowered, annual hairless, plant with stem clasping leaves and long angular pods.
Description:
Cotyledons:
Two. Oval. Tip flattened or slightly notched. Sides convex. Base tapered. Surface hairless. Petiole shorter than the blade.
First leaves:
Oval. Hairless. Tip slightly notched. Veins obvious and lighter on the top surface.
Leaves:
Alternate.
Petiole - none.
Blade - Green with yellowish veins. Basal leaves, egg shaped to oval. 100-120 mm long, narrowed at base. Tip slightly notched to rounded. Sides convex. Base stem clasping to tapered. Surface hairless with obvious veins.
Stem leaves - Oblong. Clasp stem by 2 rounded auricles so that they are arrow shaped.
Stems:
Up to 700 mm. Branched. Hairless. Smooth with a waxy bloom.
Petals - 4. Yellowish white, spreading in the form of a cross. Longer than sepals.
Stamens - 6.
Anthers -
Fruit:
Erect, long, cylindrical pod, 4 angled due to prominent midribs of the valves. 80-120 mm long. 3 mm thick with woolly partitions inside. Short beak. Falls off before maturity. Opens from the base. Seeds in a single row.
Seeds:
Many, Cylindrical to oval, 3 mm long by 1.5 mm diameter, Surface hairless and has a granular texture when moistened.
Roots:
Key Characters:
Long angular pods. Seeds in a single row. Stem leaves with smooth edges and arrow shaped. Incumbent cotyledons.
Biology:
Life cycle:
Annual. Seeds germinate in autumn and winter.
Physiology:
Reproduction:
By seed.
Flowering times:
Spring.
Seed Biology and Germination:
Vegetative Propagules:
Hybrids:
Allelopathy:
Population Dynamics and Dispersal:
Origin and History:
Mediterranean, Central Europe, Asia.
Distribution:
NSW, QLD, SA, VIC.
Habitats:
Climate:
Temperate.
Soil:
Plant Associations:
Significance:
Beneficial:
Use as salad vegetable in Europe.
Detrimental:
Weed of crops and fallows.
Toxicity:
Not recorded as toxic.
Legislation:
None.
Management and Control:
Thresholds:
Eradication strategies:
Most of the Brassicaceae weeds have dormant seeds that continue to germinate throughout the season and for several years. They often mature and set seed very quickly. Manual removal is effective but must be done at least every 8-10 weeks. Once pods are formed, seed will often mature even if the plant has been uprooted. Soil disturbance often leads to a flush of seedlings.
Many are somewhat unpalatable, so grazing only offers partial control. They often flourish in undergrazed, sunny areas.
In bushland situations, fairly selective control can be achieved with 100 mL spray oil plus 0.1 g Eclipse® or 0.5 g Logran® in 10 L water. 5 mL Brodal® is often added to this mix to provide residual control of seedlings. Spray the plants until just wet from the seedling stage up to pod formation.
Isolated plants should be removed manually and burnt if flowering or seeding and a 10 m buffer area sprayed with 10 mL Brodal® in 10 L water.
500 mL/ha of glyphosate(450g/L) can be used at flowering to reduce the seed set of most species on roadsides without causing significant damage to most native plants.
Wick application with 1 part glyphosate(450g/L) in 2 parts water or overall spraying with 100 mL glyphosate(450g/L) in 10 L water provides reasonable control of most species though Wild Radish tends to regrow.
Herbicide resistance:
Biological Control:
Related plants:
None.
The native Brassicaceae species usually have short, broad and smooth pods.
Plants of similar appearance:
Cruciferous weeds.
References:
Black, J.M. (1965). Flora of South Australia. (Government Printer, Adelaide, South Australia). P377.
Lamp, C. and Collet, F. (1990). A Field Guide to Weeds in Australia. (Inkata Press, Melbourne).
Lazarides, M. and Hince, B. (1993). CSIRO handbook of economic plants of Australia. (CSIRO, Melbourne). #343.1.