Brassica juncea
Sarson / Mustard
Also known as Common Indian Mustard, Chinese Mustard, Brown Mustard
- Habit
- Herb
- Found in India
- Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Bihar & more
- Flowering
- Throughout the year
Sarson in regional languages
Find the name you know, then compare it with the botanical profile. Columns list recorded aliases; they are not paired translations. A Latin spelling appears only when it is present in the source record.
| Language | Regional script | Recorded Latin spelling |
|---|---|---|
| Hindi | सरसों · राई | Sarson, rai |
| Nepali | रायो | Not recorded |
| Bengali | লাই শাক | Not recorded |
| Tamil | கடுகுக் கீரை | Not recorded |
| Telugu | భారతీయ ఆవాలు | Not recorded |
| Kannada | ಸಾಸಿವೆ · ಸಾಸುವೆ · ಸಾಸಿಮೆ | Saasive, Saasuve, Saasime |
| Marathi | मोहरी | Mohari |
See the original recorded names
- Hindi
- Sarson सरसों,राई rai
- Nepali
- रायो
- Bengali
- লাই শাক
- Tamil
- கடுகுக் கீரை
- Telugu
- భారతీయ ఆవాలు
- Kannada
- ಸಾಸಿವೆ Saasive, ಸಾಸುವೆ Saasuve, ಸಾಸಿಮೆ Saasime
- Marathi
- मोहरी Mohari
Ecology & growing context
- Native status · Kew WCVP
- WCVP records it as introduced in Andaman Is., Assam, India, Nicobar Is., West Himalaya Kew dataset ↗︎
Kew WCVP dataset; listed synonym of × Brassarda juncea. Dataset matching is separate from an individual regional review. Recorded worldwide native range: Caucasus.
- Explore nearby plants
- Rajasthan →Maharashtra →Bihar →
Occurrence records show where a plant has been recorded; they do not establish that it is native there. Compare local habitat and growing conditions when choosing plants for a garden.
How to identify Sarson
Identify Sarson by combining habit, leaf characters, flower or fruit details, location, and its family pattern. Do not rely on one feature alone.
- Look for a herb habit.
- Check the distinctive field mark: Cultivated mustard crop.
- Confirm flower colour: Yellow.
- In season, compare flowering and fruiting time: Throughout the year.
- In India, compare location records such as Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Bihar, Uttarakhand and nearby regions.
- Confirm it sits within the Brassicaceae family pattern, then compare close relatives before deciding it is Sarson.
Plant Details
- Scientific name
- Brassica juncea
- Genus
- Brassica
- Family
- Brassicaceae
- Habit
- Herb
- Native to
- Central Asia
- Distribution
- Central Asia to tropics of the World, Europe
- Found in India
- Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Bihar, Uttarakhand, Telangana, Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Jammu & Kashmir, Karnataka, Mizoram, Punjab, Tamil Nadu, Tripura, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal
- Flowering & fruiting
- Throughout the year
- Conservation status
- Not Evaluated (NE)
Leaf characters
Typical of the Brassicaceae family — a field-mark hint, not measured for this exact species.
Flower & fruit characters
- Flower colour
- Yellowrecorded
Typical of the family
- Inflorescence
- Raceme
Characters marked “recorded” are for Sarson itself; the rest are typical of the Brassicaceae family — flowering plants only.
Sarson in India
Mustard, called Sarson सरसों (Hindi), கடுகுக் கீரை (Tamil), భారతీయ ఆవాలు (Telugu), ಸಾಸಿವೆ Saasive (Kannada), मोहरी Mohari (Marathi), লাই শাক (Bengali), is North India's signature winter oilseed crop. Brassica juncea is grown across Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Bihar, Uttarakhand, Telangana, Gujarat, flowering in fields of solid yellow through the cooler months.
Uses
Seeds are pressed for pungent mustard oil, a staple cooking oil in much of North and East India; the young leaves are cooked as sarson ka saag, classically served with makki di roti in Punjab.
How to Identify Sarson
An erect annual herb with lower leaves that are lobed and stalked, upper leaves narrower and clasping the stem. Small four-petalled yellow flowers are carried in loose clusters at the stem tips, followed by narrow, beaked seed pods (siliques) held at an angle to the stem.
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is Mustard called in different Indian languages?
- Sarson सरसों (Hindi); கடுகுக் கீரை (Tamil); భారతీయ ఆవాలు (Telugu); ಸಾಸಿವೆ Saasive (Kannada); मोहरी Mohari (Marathi); লাই শাক (Bengali).
- Is mustard oil the same as mustard greens?
- No — both come from the same plant, but mustard oil is pressed from the seeds while sarson ka saag is cooked from the young leaves.
- Why do mustard fields look solid yellow?
- The plants are grown densely and flower together across the whole field in winter, producing the characteristic sheet of yellow seen across North Indian farmland.
Brassicaceae
Mustard family
Sarson belongs to the Brassicaceae family.
The illustration represents the family — not necessarily this exact species.
Explore the Brassicaceae familySnap it. Know it.
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Common plant problems
If you are starting from symptoms instead of a diagnosis, use the plant disease symptom checker to narrow the cause before treating.
All plant problem & care guidesMore in Brassicaceae
View all BrassicaceaeSources: GBIF — Brassica juncea (India distribution & vernacular names) (CC BY 4.0) · Wikipedia — Brassica juncea (background/comprehension only) (CC BY-SA 4.0)