Please note: The USDA GRIN program has Brassica tournefortii seed samples in their collection in Iowa, but our California and Southwest desert infestations have a unique seed color, unlike anything in the USDA collection=brick-red.

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California
County:

Fresno
--No. 18 - I-5 PM 1.00 rest stop, near Kings County line - C. Dremann - 5/05

Kern
--No. 1 - Hwy Cal. 14 PM 26, 7 mi. north of junction of new Cal. 58 - C. Dremann - 5/15/2005
--No. 2 - Hwy Cal. 14 at Jawbone Canyon BLM ORV area - C. Dremann - 5/15/05

Imperial
--No. 10 - Cal. 98 PM 53 20 miles east of Calexico - C. Dremann - 5/05
--No. 12 - County S-80, 5 miles east of Ocotillo, west of Plaster City - C. Dremann - 5/05

Riverside
--No. 7 - US 95 PM 28. 8 miles south county line - C. Dremann - 5/05
--No. 8 - US 95 junction I-10, Blythe - C. Dremann - 5/05
--No. 9 - Cal. 78 PM 28.5, a few miles west of Algodones dunes - C. Dremann - 5/05
--No. 12-B - Cal. 58 and junction County S-22, Salton City - C. Dremann - 5/05
--No. 13 - Mecca, original No. American location from 1920s, 66th Ave., 2 mi. east of town - C.D.
--No. 14 - I-10 and junction of Cal. 177 "Desert Center" - C. Dremann - 5/05
--No. 15 - Junction Cal. 62 and Cal. 177 - original; Mojave desert infestation 8 years ago - C.D.
--No. 19 - Coachella Valley - National Wildlife Refuge, Washington Av. - C. Dremann -5/05
--No. 27 - Dillon Road outside the southern edge of Joshua Tree NP - JTNP - 5/3/05

San Bernardino
--No. 3 - Junction Cal. 58 & Main St., Barstow - C. Dremann - 5/05
--No. 4 - I-40, town of Ludlow - C. Dremann - 5/05
--No. 29 - I-40, town of Ludlow - Marilyn Hanson - 6/29/2005
--No. 5 - I-40 at rest stop 5 miles east of Essex - C. Dremann - 5/05
--No. 6 - I-40 in town of Needles, junction Needles Hwy (old US 66) and "O" street - C. Dremann
--No. 30 - Needles, juction US 95 and I-40 - Marilyn Hanson - 6/29/2005
--No. 16 - US 95 PM 35.00, 24 miles north Vidal Junction - C. Dremann - 5/05
--No. 17 - US 95 PM 71.00, north of I-40 near Nevada border, "Great Wall of Mustard" - C.D.

San Diego County
--Need sample(s) - Anza Borrego area, Ocotillo Wells, etc.

Other California counties?

Cochise County
--Need sample(s) - Bisbee vicinity, I-10 ?

Coconino County
--No. 28 - Lees Ferry area - Lori Makarick - 5/2005

Gila County
--Need sample(s) - Globe vicinity, US 60 or US 70 ?

Graham County
--Need sample(s) - Safford vicinity, US 70, US 191 ?

Greenlee County
--Need sample(s) - Clifton vicinity, US 191 ?

La Paz County
--No. 33 - Quartzite at Bealls Outlet parking lot - Marilyn Hanson - 6/29/2005
--No. 34 - Parker downtown along Ariz. Hwy 95 - Marilyn Hanson - 6/29/2005

Maricopa County
--No. 31 - Gila Bend and I-8, parking lot America's Choice Inn - Marilyn Hanson - 6/29/05
--No. 32 - Buckeye and I-10, roadside irrigation ditch - Marilyn Hanson - 6/29/05

Mohave County
--No. 36 - Hwy 93, 18 miles south of I-40 - Alan McBee - 7/14/05
--No. 37 - US 95 2 miles NE Bullhead City - Alan McBee - 8/11/05
--No. 38 - I-40 between Needles and Kingman - Alan McBee - 8/15/05
--No. 39 - Hwy. 93, between Kingman and Las Vegas - Alan McBee - 8/11/05

Navajo County
--Need sample(s) - Holbrook vicinity, I-40 any roads in Hopi or Navajo Reservation?

Pima County
--No. 23 - Ariz. Route 85 one miles south of Why - Sue Rutman - 5/24/05
--No. 24 - Ariz. Route 86 near Three Points - Sue Rutman - 5/24/05
--No. 35 - Tucson Mountain Park - Marilyn Hanson - 7/11/05
--Need sample(s) - east of Tucson along I-10, south of Tucson along I-19 ?

Pinal County
--No. 39 - US 60 PM 215.2 between Superior & Apache Junction - Patti Fenner - 8/2/2005

Santa Cruz County
--Need sample(s) - Nogales vicinity, I-19 ?

Yavapai County
--Need sample(s) - Prescott vicinity, I-40, I-17, near National Forests, Ariz. Hwy 89 ?

Yuma County
--No. 11 - I-8 PM 67.6, Dateland cloverleaf - C. Dremann - 5/05

Other Nevada counties?

Other Utah counties?

1.) FIELD EQUIPMENT:
a.) Take a few 9" x 12" manila clasp envelopes,
b.) a large bowl (about 12" diameter--I used a Tupperware plastic storage bowl),
c.) some regular letter envelopes,
d.) a roll of scotch tape, and
e.) some good leather gloves for the field.

Optional is a 1/8" mesh sieve or some of 1/8" "hardware cloth" screen.

2.) COLLECTING: When you find a stand of Saharan mustards that you want to sample, put on your leather gloves and by grabbing an individual stem full of seed pods, the pods can be easily stripped off.

Put the seed pods into the 9x12" manila envelope. Fill the 9x12" envelope as full as you can with pods, and still be able to reattach the clasp. If you are using a 9x12" envelope without a clasp, just fold over the top.

Please feel free to sample from more than one plant in a population, but try to keep your harvested pods from one location from within a 100 foot radius if possible.

3.) THRASHING: Reattach the clasp on the 9x12" envelope but do not lick shut, and place the envelope on the ground with the clasp facing upwards.

With one foot, gently crush the Saharan mustard seed pods within the envelope by walking on the envelope. The actions shouldn't be so vigorous that you start tearing the envelope, and a slight grinding motion of the heel, like you're putting out a cigarette, usually will help release the seeds from the pods.

4.) SEED WINNOWING AND CLEANING: Open the clasp on the 9x12" envelope and pour out into a large bowl all of the contents. A gentle shake and the clean seeds will settle to the bottom of the bowl, and the crushed and uncrushed pods will "float".

By scooping off the "floating" pods and chaff, the seed that have moved to the bottom of the bowl can be poured out of the bowl into the letter envelope.

If you were able to bring with you a sieve or a piece of screen with an 1/8" mesh (the screen is called "hardware cloth" in the hardware stores, sold in rolls 2 ft. wide, and I bought a foot-long length for a couple of dollars)-- then you can pour the contents of the envelope into the screen, with the bowl underneath to catch the seeds. Most of the pods will be caught by the sieve or 1/8" hardware cloth and the seeds will run through throught the screen into the bowl.

If you feel that further crushing of the pods will release more seeds, then scoop the uncrushed pods back into the envelope, attach the clasp once again, and crush away.

From a 9x12" envelope full of pods that are mostly filled with seeds, you should be able to get a tablespoon or two of cleaned seeds.

5.) SAMPLE LABEL: Pour the clean seed sample into a regular mailing envelope, and label the following on the front of the envelope:

a.) Name of collector.
b.) Date of collection.
c.) Phone number.
d.) State and County of sample site.
e.) Driving location to the sample site (like "I-10 at Dateland, AZ, exit 57").
f.) Lat. and Long. in decimal fashion, if known.
g.) Elevation, if known.
h.) Optional---general ecosystem/plants in vicinity of sample area.
i.) If collected along the highway, please note the Post Mile.

6.) SEALING the seed sample envelope: Make sure and lick the seed-sample mailing-envelope shut, and also PLEASE SECURE THE ENVELOPE FLAP WITH LOTS OF SCOTCH TAPE, because that type of envelope has a habit of coming loose in transit sometimes, when they contain seeds.

7.) Put the seed sample envelope(s) in a padded mailer, and mail it to:

Craig Dremann, Redwood City Seed Company
Saharan Mustard Genetics study
Box 609
Redwood City, CA 94064

Deadline for collecting and sending the Saharan mustard seed samples, keep sending them.

PURPOSE OF THE STUDY: It will be very interesting to see if there is one genetically-uniform population throughout the whole Southwest, or if these are different populations, and perhaps be able to determine where they originated? And compare the weed populations with the USDA GRIN collection material?

CAN YOU CONTRIBUTE?: If you can go out and harvest any of the missing seed samples from the locations in italics, please email me and let me know from what States and counties you may be able to contribute from?

ANY QUESTIONS: call 9AM - 4 PM M-Sat. (650) 325-7333, or email

Updated August 5, 2010