Category Archives: Noxious Weeds

Wild Radish

Posted on November 15, 2021 by gingkochris

Wild radish (Raphanus raphanistrum) is a close relative of cultivated radishes, belonging to the same genus. Some sources give the domestic radish a different species designation (sativus) while others consider it to be a subspecies of R raphanistrum. Either way, … Continue reading →

Posted in Noxious Weeds, Wildflowers | Tagged , , , , | 3 Comments

Jupiter’s Beard

Posted on October 14, 2021 by gingkochris

Jupiter’s beard (Centranthus ruber) is native to Southern Europe and North Africa. Planted as an ornamental it has naturalized and grows wild in Europe, the West Coast of the United States and Hawaii. A perennial, Jupiter’s beard is bushy, well-branched, … Continue reading →

Posted in Noxious Weeds, Shrubs, Wildflowers | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on Jupiter’s Beard

Puncturevine

Posted on September 20, 2021 by gingkochris

Leonard remembers many bicycle flat tires during his youth caused by the appropriately named puncturevine (Tribulus terrestris) fruits. (There was no puncturevine near my Western Pennsylvania home so my bicycle tires never suffered the same fate.) The abundantly produced puncturevine … Continue reading →

Posted in Noxious Weeds | Tagged , , , , , | 3 Comments

Alkali Saltgrass

Posted on September 9, 2021 by gingkochris

A perennial native to North America, alkali saltgrass (Distichlis spicata) has been naturalized on most other continents. Depending upon where it is found, this member of the Grass Family (Poaceae) has many other colloquial names including inland saltgrass, desert saltgrass … Continue reading →

Posted in Grasses, Noxious Weeds | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Burgundy Houndstongue

Posted on August 22, 2021 by gingkochris

In an earlier post (Hound’s Tongue 04-25-18) I introduced a “cousin” of burgundy houndstongue (Cynoglossum officinale). Although both plants belong to the genus Cynoglossum, burgundy houndstongue was introduced from Europe and is a noxious, highly invasive weed while its blue-flowered … Continue reading →

Posted in Noxious Weeds, Wildflowers | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment