Stevens County Noxious Weed Control
Board This web site will help
you identify & control noxious weeds. Conventional & biological control
(BioControl) information and photographs are here. Maps & related
information are included.
Small white, five petal flowers grow in flat-topped umbrella-like
heads (umbels) 3 to 6 inches across
Umbels close as fruits develop giving a bird cage appearance to the
mature heads; they are surrounded at their base by a circle of finely
divided bracts
Fern-like leaves have a strong carrot odor, are alternate and
have short hairs on margins & veins
Seeds are 1/8 inch long, grayish-brown with one flat side and one
rounded distinctly ribbed side- mature seeds have barbed prickles
Biology and ecology
A biennial herb (usually) standing 1 to 4 feet tall and reproducing
only by seed
First year growth as a rosette with a tap root
Second year stems are erect, hollow and stiff-haired, sometimes
branched with flower heads
Infests roadsides, pastures, meadows & dry areas
Wild carrot is the same species as commercial carrot and harbors
pests that can harm both
Control
Prevention – Learn to identify
plants; know your property; beware of fill dirt, hay and seed from outside
your area
Biological – Since wild carrot and commercial carrot are the same
species, classical biological control is not a viable option
Cultural – Good competing vegetation helps but it can invade
healthy stands
Mechanical – Strongly discouraged by cultivation-annual cropping
breaks biennial cycle-small infestations can be hand pulled or dug
Chemical – Several effective at label rates;
refer to the
PNW Weed Management Handbook for specific chemical recommendations
flowering head
fern-like leaf
just beginning to
show color-notice
the long, slender
leaf-bracts below
the flowering head
after flowering, heads
close up on themselves
Where found –
Increasingly
found in the Colville area, particularly along Buena Vista Rd and near Hwy
395 between Colville and the Greenwood Rd intersection. Occasionally
elsewhere.
