Report Form - Citizen Weeds Warriors
Send us your weed sightings and help control the spread of invasive plants in Anchorage park lands.
For more information contact Anchorage Parks & Recreation Volunteer Coordinator Wade Collins at 343-4460 or CollinsWA@muni.org.
Common Name: Orange Hawkweed
Scientific Name: Hieracium aurantiacum L.
Family: Asteraceae
Description: Orange hawkweed is a fibrous-rooted perennial. The plant grows up to 12 inches tall on a single stem with small black hairs. The leaves are in a basal rosette, with few leaves on the stem. Flower heads range from yellow-orange in the middle to darker orange on the outer edges. Orange hawkweed is native to Europe. Flower enthusiasts interested in its beautiful orange flower assisted the distribution of this weed.
Control: Perennial plants require depletion of nutrient reserves in the root system, prevention of seed production and prevention of dispersal.
Courtesy of Alaska Committee for Noxious and Invasive Plants Management. Photo courtesy of Marta Mueller.
Common Name: Tufted Vetch, Bird Vetch
Scientific Name: Vicia cracca L.
Family: Fabaceae
Description: Tufted vetch is a perennial plant with multiple vine-like stems up to 1.5 foot tall. Stems are branching with small tendrils and leaves comprised of 8 to 10 leaflets. Purple flowers are bilaterally symmetrical and are arranged in a one-sided spike. Fruit are borne in dehiscent pods.Many varieties of vetch were introduced as forage crops from Europe.
Control: Perennial plants require depletion of nutrient reserves in the root system, prevention of seed production and prevention of dispersal. Vetch seeds disperse by the ballistic action of drying seedpods helping infestations grow rapidly.
Courtesy of Alaska Committee for Noxious and Invasive Plants Management. Photo courtesy of Marta Mueller.
Common Name: Common Tansy
Scientific Name: Tanacetum vulgare
Family: Sunflower
Description: Perennial, spreads by seed and by short rhizomes, forming dense clumps. Flat-topped clusters of button-like yellow flowers. Numerous composite flower heads (20 to 200 per plant). Heads composed of disc florets only - flower heads without petals. Upright stems often purplish-red and dotted with glands. Leaves alternate and deeply divided into narrow individual leaflets, giving a feathery appearance. Plants grow to five feet tall. Strong odor reminiscent of creosote.
Thrives in disturbed habitats in full sun. Found on roadsides, river and stream banks, and beach meadows. Mildly toxic to grazing animals.
Courtesy of Alaska Committee for Noxious and Invasive Plants Management.
Common Name: Purple Loosestrife, Purple Lythrum
Scientific Name: Lythrum salicaria L.
Family: Lythraceae
Description: Purple loosestrife is a perennial plant producing up to 50 stems from one root. The stems are erect and grow from 6 to 8 feet tall. Flowers are deep pink in color and form long spikes. Leaves are narrow, with entire margins. Purple loosestrife was introduced from Europe as an ornamental plant and bee forage.
Control: Perennial plants require depletion of nutrient reserves in the root system, prevention of seed production and prevention of dispersal. This plant has attractive deep pink flowers. Resist the temptation to purchase it from nursery catalogs. Root fragments can sprout, so remove as much plant material as possible.
Courtesy of Alaska Committee for Noxious and Invasive Plants Management. Photo courtesy of Weeds of the West.
Common Name: Hempnettle
Scientific Name: Galeopsis tetrahit L.
Family: Lamiaceae
Description: Hempnettle is an annual with single square stems growing 1 to 1.5 foot tall. The flowers are white, pink or purple and are grouped in clusters in axils of the upper leaves. Hempnettle is an introduced plant. It does not produce a stinging sensation when touched like Urtica species.
Control: Hempnettle is a prolific seeder. Annual plants require prevention of seed production and prevention of dispersal.
Courtesy of Alaska Committee for Noxious and Invasive Plants Management. Photo courtesy of Marta Mueller.
Common Name: Canada Thistle
Scientific Name: Cirsium arvense (L.) Scop.
Family: Asteraceae
Description: Canada thistle is a perennial that reproduces by seed and deep, creeping roots. Stems are from 1 to 4 feet tall and branching. The leaves have spine-tipped lobes. Flower heads are purple, and individual flowers are all rayed. Male and female flowers occur on separate plants. Canada thistle is native to Europe.
Control: Perennial plants require depletion of nutrient reserves in the root system, prevention of seed production and prevention of dispersal. This plant is not easily pulled due to its tough, spiny leaves. The roots should not be broken up. Individual root pieces may produce new plants.
Courtesy of Alaska Committee for Noxious and Invasive Plants Management. Photo courtesy of Corlene Rose, CES.