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DISTRIBUTION AND HABITAT: Garlic mustard is an exotic species introduced <br />from Europe presumably by early settlers for its supposed medicinal properties <br />and for use in cooking. !t is widely distributed throughout the northeastern and <br />Midwestern U.S. from Canada to South Carolina and west to Kansas, North <br />Dakota, and as far as Colorado and Utah. In Wisconsin, the plant is currently <br />concenirated in the southeastern and northeastern counties, although distribution <br />records indicafie ifis presence is nearly statewide <br />Garlic mustard grows in upland and floodplai� forests, savannas, yards, and <br />along roadsides, occasionally in full sun. It is shade-tolerant, and generally <br />requires some shade; it is not commonly found in sunny habitats. It cannot <br />tolerate acidic soils. The invasion of forests usually begins along the wood's <br />edge, and progresses via streams, campgrounds, and traiis. <br />LIFE HISTORY AND EFFECTS OF INVASION: This species is a biennial that <br />produces hundreds of seeds per pfant. The seeds are believed to be dispersed <br />on the fur of large animals such as deer, horses, ancf squirreis, by flowing wa#er <br />and by human activities. In our areas, seeds 1ie dormant for 20 months prior to <br />germination, and may remain viabie #or five years_ Seeds germinate in early <br />April. First-year plants appear as basal rosettes in the summer season. First-year <br />plants remain green through the following winter, making it possible #o check for <br />the presence of this pfanf in your woods throughaut the year. Garlic mustard <br />begins vegeta#ive growth early in the spring, and blooms in southern Wisconsin <br />from May throug#� early June. Fruits begirt to ripen in mid-July, and are <br />disseminated through August. Viable seeds are produced within days of initial <br />flowering. <br />Garlic Mustard is a rapidly spreading woodland weed that is displacing native <br />woodland wildflowers in Wiscons+n_ It dominates the forest floor and can displace <br />most nativ� herbaceous species within ten years. This plant is a major threat to <br />the survival of Wisconsin's woodland herbaceous flora anc! the wildlife that <br />depend on it. There are two modes of spread: an advancing front, and satellite <br />population expansion possibly facilitated by small animals. Unlike other plants <br />