Bloomipedia
Garlic penny-cress (Mummenhoffia alliacea)
Photo: Ken Clark via iNaturalist · CC BY 4.0 · resized

Flower profile

Garlic penny-cress

Mummenhoffia alliacea

Garlic penny-cress is a flowering plant. In Maryland it's most often seen in bloom in March–April.

–states
1,494MD sightings*
5,753U.S. sightings*

*iNaturalist research-grade observations, as of October 17, 2026.

On our lists for: Maryland

Quick look

Mummenhoffia alliacea, the garlic pennycress or roadside pennycress, is a species of flowering plant in the family Brassicaceae. It is native to central and southern Europe, and Anatolia, and has been introduced to the United Kingdom and the eastern United States. An erect plant usually 25 to 65 cm tall, it is typically found on roadsides, fields, and other disturbed situations.

  • It belongs to the Brassicaceae family. iNaturalist
  • In Maryland, most iNaturalist sightings of it in flower come in March–April. iNaturalist
  • iNaturalist has 1,494 research-grade sightings of it in Maryland, ranking #88 among the 110 flowers on our Maryland list. iNaturalist

Garlic penny-cress gift ideas

Handmade garlic penny-cress gifts from independent makers.

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When does it bloom?

In Maryland, most flowering sightings come in March–April.

Flowering records by month in Maryland (iNaturalist research-grade observations marked “Flowering”) (77 records)

Conservation status

Federal (U.S. ESA)
Not listed No U.S. Endangered Species Act listing in the USFWS ECOS database. USFWS ECOS
NatureServe
Unknown We couldn't find this name in NatureServe Explorer. NatureServe
Maryland
Not listed Not on Maryland threatened and endangered plants (COMAR 08.03.08.05, .06 and .08). COMAR 08.03.08

Checked October 17, 2026. Rankings and lists can change, so follow the links for the latest.

Can you eat it?

For peopleNot well documented

None of the sources we checked (NC State Extension (no page for this plant)) say whether it's edible or poisonous for people.

For petsNot well documented

It isn't on the ASPCA plant list.

🌿 Never eat a wild plant unless you're certain of its ID; this isn't medical advice. Worried about a person? Call Poison Control at 1-800-222-1222. Worried about a pet? Call your vet.

Where does it grow?

USDA PLANTS has no state-by-state distribution for this name, so we can't map it yet.

More Maryland flowers

Garlic mustard (Alliaria petiolata)

Garlic mustard

Alliaria petiolata

Introduced

🌼 Blooms in MD: April–May
Dame's rocket (Hesperis matronalis)

Dame's rocket

Hesperis matronalis

Introduced

🌼 Blooms in MD: April–June
Cut-leaved toothwort (Cardamine concatenata)

Cut-leaved toothwort

Cardamine concatenata

Native

🌼 Blooms in MD: March–April

Sources