Sisymbrium is a genus of flowering plants in the Brassicaceae (mustard) family, comprising several dozen species found across Europe, Asia, Africa, the Americas, and Australia. Many species are considered weeds in agricultural settings, but their seeds have a long history of use as food.
In Australia, the seeds of native and naturalised Sisymbrium species were traditionally gathered and ground into flour by Aboriginal communities, particularly in arid and semi-arid regions where the plants grow prolifically after rain. The seeds are small, oily, and peppery, consistent with other mustard-family plants.
Sisymbrium species are not commercially cultivated for food. Their significance lies primarily in their role as a traditional wild-gathered food source and as part of the broader story of seed-based foods in Indigenous Australian foodways.
How it's produced
Sisymbrium seeds are gathered from wild plants rather than farmed. The plants are annual or biennial herbs that colonise disturbed ground and open landscapes, often appearing in abundance after seasonal rains. Seeds are collected by stripping mature seed pods from the plant and winnowing to separate the small seeds from chaff.
Traditional harvesting by Aboriginal Australians involved gathering the seed heads, grinding the seeds between stones, and preparing the resulting flour as a paste or cake. There is no known commercial cultivation of Sisymbrium specifically for its seeds.
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