Rush Skeletonweed
Chondrilla juncea
Description
A perennial that grows from one to four feet tall. Juvenile plants overwinter as a rosette of hairless, basal leaves that are two to five inches long and widening towards the tip. Lateral lobes point backwards toward the base. When mature, the basal rosette disappears and the plant becomes dark green, nearly leafless, and bears many branches. A distinguishing characteristic is the course downwardly-bent hairs that cover the lower four to six inches of the stem. When cut, the stems and roots excrete a white latex sap. It bears yellow flowers that grow individually or in clusters of two to five. The summer development of flower heads on a virtually leafless stem with thin aerial branches gives the appearance of a ?skeletonweed.? Seeds have a pappus of numerous white capillary bristles that are carried by the wind.Habitat
Light, dry soil; rangelands and roadsidesDistribution
Primarily the northeast and southwest quadrants of Oregon, eastern Washington, and the majority of western and central IdahoImpacts
Impedes crop cultivation, reduces livestock and wildlife forage, displaces native plant species (but rarely invades healthy native communities)Dispersal Methods
Wind, crop cultivationPrevention
ItListings
ODAFactsheets
Photos
Distribution Map
Distribution in Washington
Distribution in Idaho
Other Links
Information in Biological Controls from the Lincoln County Noxious Weed Control Board
Collection and Redistribution of Biological Control Agents of Rush Skeletonweed? by Joseph P. McCaffrey, et al.
Report on Managing Rush Skeletonweed Without Herbicides by Californians for Alternatives to Toxics