Weed Identification II Alberta Invasive Plants Council Photo

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Weed Identification II

• Alberta Invasive Plants Council

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Orange Hawkweed

• Latin Name Hieracium aurantiacum
• AB Weed Act Listing
• Prohibited Noxious
• Aliases Devils Paintbrush, Red Devil
• Life Cycle perennial
• Threat rapid spreader
• Habitats lawns, pastures, meadows, roadsides

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Orange Hawkweed
Identification Stems 15-90 cm tall, covered in
black bristly hairs, contain milky sap Spreads by
stolons (runners) Leaves club-shaped with smooth
edges, both sides hairy, found at base of
plant Flowers dandelion-like, burnt orange petals
black haired bracts, in clusters of 2-30 per
stem
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Orange Hawkweed

• Control
• Maintain healthy plant cover, avoid overuse of
  area planting in garden
• Cultural methods (fertilize, seed)
• Early Detection
• Herbicide in spring
• Careful cultivation
• Avoid mowing

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Purple Loosestrife

• Latin Name Lythrum salicaria
• AB Weed Act Listing
• Prohibited Noxious
• Aliases Purple Lythrum, Spiked Loosestrife
• Life Cycle perennial
• Threat alter wetlands
• Habitats in freshwater areas (marshes, ditches,
  irrigation canals, ponds)

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Purple Loosestrife

• Identification
• Stems woody, squared with 4-6 sides, grow to
  height of 1-1.5 m tall
• Leaves opposite along stem, lance-shaped, smooth
  edged, may be hairy
• Flowers clustered on terminal spike, petals 5, 6
  or 7, pink-purple

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Purple Loosestrife

• Control
• Prevent spread by cleaning equipment/vehicles
• Cutting, digging, pulling
• Herbicide
• Cutting/herbicide combination
• Biological control
• Avoid mowing large-scale pulling/digging

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Salt Cedar

• Latin Name Tamarix spp.
• AB Weed Act Listing
• Prohibited Noxious
• Aliases Tamarix Pink Cascade, Summer Glow or
  Rubra, Tamarisk
• Life Cycle tree/shrub
• Threat inhibits other plants
• Habitats along waterways, in gardens

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Salt Cedar

• Identification
• Shrub 1-3 m tall, bushy
• Branches feathery with fine foliage, pink-tipped
  when flowering
• Leaves are tiny scales (similar looking to real
  cedars)
• Flowers in tiny pink spikes on branch tips,
  darker when in bud, fuzzy when open

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Salt Cedar

• Control
• Avoid buying as an ornamental
• Herbicide
• Herbicide in combination with mulching or cutting
• Grubbing/shrub removal
• Biological control
• Avoid burning

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Common Toadflax

• Latin Name Linaria vulgaris
• AB Weed Act Listing Noxious
• Aliases Yellow Toadflax, Butter-and-eggs, Wild
  Snapdragon, Flaxweed, Jacobs Ladder
• Life Cycle perennial
• Threat aggressive root-spreader, poisonous to
  livestock/wildlife
• Habitats grasslands, ditches, meadows and under
  light shade

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Common Toadflax

• Identification
• Upright stems to 1.3 m, creeping roots form
  dense colonies
• Yellow snapdragon flowers cluster at plant tip,
  have spurs orange throats
• Leaves stem have waxy texture, alternate leaves
  blade-like
• Previous years seed stalks will be standing
  nearby

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Common Toadflax

• Control
• Know what is in your seed mix before planting
• Prevent seedling establishment
• Mechanical control starves root reserves
• Herbicide
• Biological control

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Common Tansy

• Latin Name Tanacetum vulgare
• AB Weed Act Listing Noxious
• Aliases golden buttons, bitter buttons,
  parsley-fern, ginger plant, hind-head
• Life Cycle perennial
• Threat toxic, spreads by seeds roots to form
  clumps
• Habitats meadows, waterways, roadsides, rail
  corridors

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Common Tansy
Identification Stems tall (1.5-2 m), purplish
and woody Fern-like leaves exude strong odour
when crushed Flattened clusters of button-like,
yellow flowers on stem tips Plants can be very
bushy, producing over 50,000 seeds/plant
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Common Tansy

• Control
• Maintain healthy plant cover to prevent
  infestations
• Avoid moving contaminated fill purchasing tansy
• Repeated mowing/cutting
• Herbicides
• Combine mechanical and chemical treatments

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Creeping Bellflower

• Latin Name Campanula rapunculoides
• AB Weed Act Listing Noxious
• Aliases Harebell, Creeping Bluebell, Rover
  Bellflower
• Life Cycle perennial
• Threat aggressive root-creeper
• Habitats gardens, lawns, stream banks,
  cultivated lands, drought and shade tolerant

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Creeping Bellflower
Identification Stems to 1 m tall, purplish
hairy Leaves heart-shaped with toothy edges,
alternate on stem Purple or blue bell-shaped
flowers on top half of plant, hang downward
Native bellflowers are much lower to the ground
with smaller flowers
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Creeping Bellflower

• Control
• Avoid purchasing or transplanting into gardens
• Hand pulling or cutting to reduce seed production
• Manage herbicide resistance
• Dig out as much root as possible
• Avoid cultivation