This information courtesy
of the Colorado Natural Areas Program
Family: Asteraceae
(Aster, Sunflower)
Other names: Bearded creeper
USDA Code: CRVU2
Legal Status:
Colorado Noxious Weed List A
IDENTIFICATION
Lifecycle:
Annual
Growth form: Forb
Flower: Pink,
lavender or purple ray flowers, one to five per branch.
Seeds/Fruit: A
distinct ring of dark, stiff bristles encircle the broad end
of the seed giving the appearance of a fishing fly (Whitsen,
1999). Soil seed bank viability period of at least three
years.
Leaves: Rosette
leaves are obovate with entire to slightly toothed margins
Older rosette leaves and stem leaves are pinnately to bi-pinnately
lobed. Margins of lobes are armed with short, stiff spines
giving leaves a coarse, rough texture when touched. Stem
leaves are alternate, sessile and progressively smaller
toward the stem apex (Whitsen, 1999),.
Stems: Main stem
terminates in one to several short flowering branches:
additional flowering branches originate in upper leaf axils.
IMPACTS
Agricultural: Invades
hay fields and rangeland reducing forage quantity and
quality. Can be invasive in grass crops grown for seed.
Ecological: Invades
disturbed non-croplands and natural areas reducing forage
and wildlife habitat.
HABITAT AND DISTRIBUTION
General requirements:
In
the Pacific Northwest this plant is invasive on steep, south
facing, grassy slopes.
Distribution:
California, Idaho, Oregon and Washington. Colorado currently
has no documented infestations of common crupina.
Historical:
Native
to the Mediterranean Region.
REFERENCES
USDA,
NRCS. 2005. The PLANTS Database,
Version 3.5 (http://plants.usda.gov). Data compiled from
various sources by Mark W. Skinner. National Plant Data
Center, Baton Rouge, LA 70874-4490 USA
Whitson,
T.D.(ed.), L.C. Burrill, S.A.
Dewey, D.W. Cudney, B.E. Nelson, R.D. Lee, R. Parker. 5th
Edition 1999. Common Crupina. 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. 127.
|
