|
Species
Information
- medusahead
rye
- Taeniatherum
caput-medusae
(L.) Nevski
- USDA
Symbol: TACA8
- Oregon
Noxious Weed Designation: B
- Pictures
Identification:
Annual; blooms May to June. Grows 6 to 18 in tall. Slender annual grass with spikelets in a densely crowded bristly spike 1 to 4” long. Leaf blades somewhat rolled, 1/16” wide. Usually found in clayey soils.
Impacts:
Found in virtually every county in the state, medusahead rye demonstrates its negative qualities best in eastern Oregon where it out-competes other grasses by extracting the majority of moisture well before perennial grasses have begun to grow. Medusahead is rich in silica and becomes unpalatable in late spring as forage for cattle or sheep. Once land is invaded by this grass, it becomes almost worthless, supporting neither native animals, birds or livestock.
Biological
Controls: No approved biological control agents are currently available, although two smut diseases that eliminate seed production are being researched.
Oregon
Maps of Medusahead Rye Distribution
Links:
USDA
Plants Database information on medusahead rye
GRIN
Database information on medusahead rye
Oregon Department
of Agriculture information on medusahead
rye
|
