My sister sent me these photos from her veggie garden area today. She said she's never seen this flower in her yard before, and I can't narrow it down enough to figure out what it is. She said it smells like a cross between a rose and citrus. She lives in the western half of the state, so it's wet there. Any help with an ID would be most appreciated!

Brassica rapa would be my guess

Thanks sallyg! My very first guess was rapeseed. And now that you've given me the actual name of it, I'm thinking it's the same thing? I'm finding the information a little confusing, because I've never heard it called field mustard, but that's what I find it listed as. Or, maybe they're just in the same family. Thanks for giving me a great lead!

with Sally, mustard. No, not the same thing as rapeseed but close.

100% Brassicaceae.
Looks like Brassica napa...turnip.
https://www.naturespot.org.uk/...

sallyg said: Brassica rapa would be my guess

Mine too, because of the "clasping" leaf bases. Apparently Brassica oleracea also has clasping leaf bases but didn't look quite the same shape in the few pics I found.

I was unaware that Brassica blooms could have a pleasant scent.

porkpal said: I was unaware that Brassica blooms could have a pleasant scent.

Me neither although dame's rocket and stock are in the same family.

Erysimum..common name Wallflower are in same family...very scented.
Ditto ....Matthiola longipetala, known as night-scented stock or evening stock,
Ditto....Lunaria annua, called honesty or annual honesty in English.
etc etc etc

Here in UK we grow oil seed rape.....
Brassica napus subsp. napus, also known as rape, or oilseed rape.
Driving past a field of it the scent can be over powering..
Friends suffer from chronic hay fever allergy with the plants.

Quote www...
"Rape seed pollen (and related irritants) can induce asthma, allergic rhinitis and allergic conjunctivitis. It is still unclear whether Rape pollen is a common cause of allergic symptoms, or whether volatile organic compounds from Rape are more frequently responsible for these symptoms.!"

I was just going to say (when Silversurfer added) they do smell but I can't think of what the smell is right now. They make me sneeze so I try not to smell them. I have heard the flowers are good in salad but haven't tried.

Silversurfer said: 100% Brassicaceae.
Looks like Brassica napa...turnip.
https://www.naturespot.org.uk/...

I don't see any hair on the stems, but I'll ask my sister about that. Maybe they're just too short for me to see. Thanks for the suggestion, either way!

Silversurfer said: Erysimum..common name Wallflower are in same family...very scented.
Ditto ....Matthiola longipetala, known as night-scented stock or evening stock,
Ditto....Lunaria annua, called honesty or annual honesty in English.
etc etc etc

Here in UK we grow oil seed rape.....
Brassica napus subsp. napus, also known as rape, or oilseed rape.
Driving past a field of it the scent can be over powering..
Friends suffer from chronic hay fever allergy with the plants.

Quote www...
"Rape seed pollen (and related irritants) can induce asthma, allergic rhinitis and allergic conjunctivitis. It is still unclear whether Rape pollen is a common cause of allergic symptoms, or whether volatile organic compounds from Rape are more frequently responsible for these symptoms.!"

Beautiful fields! Looks just like the ones growing here.

Because of the blue-green color, I think its Brassica napus - field mustard. Its used as a winter cover crop (its a nitrogen fixer but less invasive than alfalfa) and turned under in spring. The stems are smooth but the seed pods are rough feeling.

Lucy68 said: Because of the blue-green color, I think its Brassica napus - field mustard. Its used as a winter cover crop (its a nitrogen fixer but less invasive than alfalfa) and turned under in spring. The stems are smooth but the seed pods are rough feeling.

I looked field mustard up in the database, and the leaves look totally different to me.

To me too.

Brassica crops are commonly grown for seed in the Willamette Valley. Brassica napus acreage is limited due to the risk of pollen contamination of the other brassicas. I don't know which one the original poster shows. Since they can cross pollinate it could be impossible to know.

Some years many farmers grow canola as a cover crop. That is when we enjoy views of large fields of those yellow flowers.

Sorry to have disappeared from the conversation! I was on vacation, and when I got back, my gardens were so buried in weeds that I couldn't even see my plants! Been busy trying to find my daylilies and iris, since I returned.

Thanks to each of you for help with this plant. I'm not sure that I know exactly what it is, but at least I know the family it belongs in. That's a big help.