Key identifying traits
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Plant stems grow 1-3’ tall with
fibrous roots
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Plant stems turn brown with maturity
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Leaves are alternate, 1-3” long with
saw-tooth margins
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Flowers are yellow and about 1” in
diameter
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Curved bracts around the flower
secrete a sticky resin giving the plant its name
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Seeds are oblong and cream colored
Biology and ecology
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A biennial or short lived perennial
plant reproducing by seed
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Curlycup gumweed is native to the
U.S.
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It is found in pastures, rangelands,
along roadsides, and in waste areas
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It is highly drought resistant
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It is unpalatable to livestock but
was used by Indians for treatment of asthma, bronchitis, colic, and
skin rashes
Control
Prevention –
Learn to identify plants; start monitoring early in the season
Biological –
No known biological control in our area
Cultural –
Plant competitive grass or other cover crops
Mechanical –
It can be hand pulled but does not grow upright enough to be effectively
mowed
Chemical –the
PNW Weed Management handbook lists it as a problem weed and
recommends 2,4-D ester, dicamba, picloram, and metsulfuron as control
herbicides for gumweed.
|
Richard Old, XID Services, Inc |
