yellow toadflax
(Linaria vulgaris)
Infestations Flowers Line Drawing - slow doloawnd seed-see bottom field of yellow toadflax yellow toadflax crossing a fence
New catagory I Montana State noxious weed. Closely related to Dalmatian toadflax. A problem in farm land, other states and Canada.
Photo by: T. Breitenfeldt. Location: Jefferson Co., MT.
Links:
Weed-feeders Table of Contents
Yellow Toadflax
Weed Guide - YELLOW TOADFLAX (Linaria vulgaris)
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Origin: Yellow toadflax (Linaria vulgaris), south-central Eurasia, by 1950's yellow toadflax had spread throughout North America, commonly found in the United States and Southeastern Canada. (1)Roots: Extensive root system, that spreads both down and laterally. (2) This weed is able to spread easily through it's roots and they are hard to control because of their roots. (5)
Stems/Leaves: Leaves are a green color, alternate, a small width, and has points at both ends. (1)
Flowers: The flowers are an intense yellow and have an orange center. When shoots grow to about 16 to 24 inches tall they begin to flower. They flower at different times depending on the conditions. In high elevations they could flower as late as July. (4)
Fruits and Seeds: This flowers blossom is about 1 inch in dense clusters along the stem as it lengthens and grows. The fruit is round, about 1/4 inch in diameter and a light brown, and the fruit contains many seeds. Yellow toadflax can produce up to 500,000 seeds which can live in the soil for up to ten years but, most are growing by the next year.(6)
Reproduction: It is a perennial that reproduces from seeds, and also from underground root stalks. The seeds are spread in many ways (birds, wind, water, human activities, etc.) but usually just fall close by the plant. Yellow taodflax is able to reproduce very quickly. (12)
Life Style/Habits/Life Duration: Its usually grows in rangeland and in farm areas. And, comes out usually in April and May. (1) Yellow toadflax grows well in wet soils and climates. (6)
Environments Favorable to Infestation: Farm lands, distrubed soils, and rangeland.(3) Overgrazed land is a perfect environment for this weed. (6)
Benifits: Yellow toadflax has special chemicals that can help the liver in certain cases so it can be used to treat liver problems. (12)
Damage: Yellow toadflax can displace plant communities and the animal life in an area. The seeds can be used by birds or rodents, but are not usually used by native species. Where toadflax infests soil erosion, surface runoff, and sediment increase. Yellow toadflax can kill the existing plant life in an area where people want it to grow crops. It also contains a poisonous glucoside that may be toxic to some animals. (7)
Control Methods: Successfully managing toadflax can take many strategies (IPM). It is important because of enviromential and genetic variability. This means many different strategies are needed to control the weed. Weevils and the beetle Brachypterolos pulicarius are other insects that can help control the weed. Burning, grazing, and pulling the weed usually won't work becuase it doesn't kill the roots. Chemical methods may work but usually require several treatements. (6)
Collection of Bio-contol Agents: You can collect yellow toadflax feeding insects at about any infestion site by using a net and sweeping it back and forth. (1)
Purchasing Insects: You can purchase the yellow toadflax feeding insect (Brachypterolus pulicarius) at http://www.bio-control.com/ at about $75.00 for 105 adult insects, available in June. (2)
Remarks: With the infestation of yellow toadflax it is important for people to understand the risk and effects of yellow toadflax. For more information on yellow toadflax check out the links below. (2)
Links:
http://www.lib.ksu.edu/wildflower/butter.html
http://www.yampa.com/Routt/CSU/YellowToadflax.html
http://www.nysaes.cornell.edu/ent/biocontrol/weedfeeders/toadflax.html
http://www.cwma.org/yell_toadflax.html
http://205.169.13.227/depts/pubwor/weeds/30weeds/ytoad.htm
http://www.agf.gov.bc.ca/croplive/cropprot/weedguid/yelltoad.htm
http://asuwlink.uwyo.edu/~caps/yeltoad/yellow.htm
http://pi.cdfa.ca.gov/weedinfo/Ytoadflaxfram.html
http://www.uwyo.edu/plants/weeds/id/yetf.htm
http://www.ext.colostate.edu/PUBS/natres/03114.html
http://www.co.stevens.wa.us/weedboard/other%20weeds/yellow_toadflax.htm
http://www.unce.unr.edu/publications/FS02/FS0296.pdf
http://www.fs.fed.us/ipnf/eco/yourforest/noxiousweeds/yellowtoadflax.html
http://www.explorebiodiversity.com/problem_plants/species/Yellow%20Toadflax.htm
http://tncweeds.ucdavis.edu/esadocs/linadalm.html
http://www.aspenpitkin.com/misc/weeds/yellow_toadflax.htm
http://www.btny.purdue.edu/pubs/WS/CanadaThistle/
Bibliography:
(1) Lajeunesse, Sherry Yellow & Dalmatian toadflax, [avaliable on-line] Butte-Silverbow Weed Control InformationPage,
http://co.silverbow.mt.us/weed/dalmation_and_yellow_toadflax.htm .(2)Breitenfeldt, Todd, Personal Interview, Whitehall Schools science teacher. E-mail: tbreit@whtlsv99.ixi.net, S-mail: mtwow.org, Whitehall Schools, P.O. Box 1109, Whitehall, MT 59759.
(3)TheVirtual Courthouse of Larimer County Colorado, http://www.co.larimer.co.us/publicworks/weeds/ytoad.htm
(4) Beck, K.G. Biology and Management of the Toadflaxes. 23 Aug. 2004. CSU cooperate extention.
(6) Feb. 2006.<http://www.ext.colostate.edu?Pubs/natrse/o3114.html>.
(5) Yellow Toadflax. 2 Feb. 2004. Stevens County Noxious Weed Control Board. 8 Feb. 2006.
<http://www.co.stevens.wa.us/weedboard/other%20weeds/yellow_toadflaxhtml>.(6) Managing Yellow and Dalmation Toadflax. 1996. Cooperate Extention. 8 Feb. 2006.
<http://www.unce.unr/publications/FS02/FS0296.pdf>.(7) Yellow Toadflax. 8 Feb. 2006. <http://fs.fed.us/ipnf/eco/yourforest/noxiousweeds/yellowtoadflax.html>.
(8) Yellow Toadflax Control in Direct Seeding. 1 Dec. 2004. Government of Alberta. 8 Feb. 2006.
<http://www.explorediodiversity.com/problem_planys/species/yellow%20toadflax.html>.(9) Rice, Barry. The Global Invasive Species Initiative. The Nature Conservatory. 8 Feb. 2006.
<http://tncweeds.ucdavis.edu/esadocs/linadalm.html>.(10) Yellow Toadflax. 1 April 2001. Pitkin County Weed information. 6 Feb. 2006.
<http://www.aspenkin.com/misc/weeds/yellow_toadflax.htm>.(11) Serafinchon, Ada. Yellow Toadflax Control in Direct Seeding. 1 Dec. 2004. Government of Alberta. 8 Feb. 2006.
<http://www1.agric.gov.ab.ca/$depatment/deptdocs.nsf/all/agdex3488?opendocument>.
By: Taylor Olson 3/2/01. Updated by: Abbey Adksion 2/15/06.
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