[APWG] NEWS: Yellow starthistle menaces flora, fauna
Olivia Kwong
plant at plantconservation.org
Thu Jan 31 12:26:31 CST 2008
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/01/30/HOEPUKTTJ.DTL
Yellow starthistle menaces flora, fauna
Ron Sullivan, Joe Eaton
Wednesday, January 30, 2008
When you recognize yellow starthistle, Centaurea solstitialis, and you
learn its history and effects, you can scare yourself half to death
driving down Interstate 5 in early summer. Those little yellow flowers
blanket miles of fields.
This pest is familiar along roadsides and "disturbed places" churned up by
plow, bulldozer or cattle. It has few natural consumers or enemies and it
seeds profusely - a large plant can produce nearly 75,000 seeds. Its long
spines are wicked and puncture the eyes and noses of grazers and the skin
of hikers. It's pure hell to extirpate. Starthistle doesn't like deserts,
the coast or anywhere above 7,000 feet, but the rest of California suits
it just fine.
See the link above for the full article text.
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