This information courtesy
of the Colorado Natural Areas Program
Family:
Apiaceae (Parsley)
Other Names:
none widely accepted
USDA Code:
CACA19
Legal Status:
Colorado Noxious Weed List B
Identification
Growth form:
biennial, or sometimes perennial forb
Flower:
Flowers
are small, white or pinkish, and occur in terminal or lateral loose
clusters.
Seeds/Fruit:
Seeds are narrow, oblong, brown, and have five
distinct tan, linear, ribs.
Leaves:
Shoot leaves are alternate and normally oblong or oval
in shape. Stem leaves resemble those of carrots in shape but tend to
droop more.
Stems:
Mature
plants are 1-3 feet tall and have one or more shoots emerging from a
single taproot. Shoots are slender, erect, branching, and normally
hollow.
Roots: Taproot.
Seedling:
no information available
Other: Fruits have distinctive caraway odor.
Similar Species
Exotics: Somewhat similar to poison hemlock (Conium maculata),
but lacks spotted stems.
Natives: Other members of the Parsley family are similar in
overall appearance. Be sure to note root and fruit characteristics,
flower color and foliage odor for successful keying.
Impacts
Agricultural:
Can be a pest in hay meadows.
Ecological:
Wild caraway can invade disturbed areas and push
out native vegetation. It is a prolific seed producer and can spread
rapidly.
Human:
no information available .
Habitat and Distribution
General requirements:
Wild caraway is commonly found in
mountain meadows, hayfields, and along irrigation ditches and
roadsides. It prefers full sun and well drained soils.
Distribution:
Widely naturalized in the northern United States
and Canada. It is found from 5000-9500 feet in the western half of
Colorado, except in the extreme western part of the state (Rutledge
and McLendon 1998).
Historical:
Wild caraway was introduced into the U.S. as a
cultivated species (Whitson et al. 1996), but escaped and is
now widespread throughout the country. The seeds are used as medicine
and the leaves are sometimes used in salads and soups (GardenGuides
1999).
Biology/Ecology
Life cycle: Wild caraway spends the first year as a leafy
rosette. The second year the plant bolts and flowers. The stems of the
delicate flowers produce seed cases, each containing two seeds (GardenGuides
1999).
Mode of reproduction:
Reproduces by seeds.
Seed production: Under ideal conditions, each plant may produce
several thousand seeds.
Seed bank: No information available.
Dispersal: No information available.
Integrated Management Summary
Eliminate seed production by cutting or pulling wild caraway plants
before seed set. Herbicides should also be applied before seed set.
Later in the season, cut seed heads to prevent seed from maturing. Try
to minimize disturbance caused by these control measures; restore and
maintain native vegetation in such areas.
References
GardenGuides. 1999. Herb guide, caraway (Carum carvi).
gardener@interpath.com . Internet: 3/5/99. Available: http://www.gardenguides.com/herbs/caraway.htm
Rutledge, Chris R. and Dr. Terry McLendon. No Year. An
Assessment of Exotic Plant Species of Rocky Mountain National
Park. Department of Rangeland Ecosystem Science, Colorado State
University. 97pp. Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center Home
Page. http://www.npwrc.usgs.gov/resource/othrdata/explant.htm
(Version 15DEC98).
Whitson,
T.D.(ed.), L.C. Burrill, S.A. Dewey, D.W. Cudney, B.E.
Nelson, R.D. Lee, R. Parker. 1996. Wild caraway. Weeds of the
West. Western Society of Weed Science, in cooperation with the
Western United States Land Grant Universities Cooperative
Extension Services, Newark CA. pg. 18.
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