COMMON NAME (SPECIES NAME)

Canada thistle (Cirsium arvense)

Canada thistle is an aggessive weed that has been classified as a noxious weed in Nebraska since 1873 and infests approx. 450,000 acres in Nebraska.

Growth Form: Forb
Life Span: Perennial
Origin: Eurasia
Flowering Dates: June-August
Reproduction: Rhizomes and seeds
Height: 0.3-1.2 m (1-3.9 ft)
Flower: Pink to purple

Found throughout Nebraska, except in the extreme southeast, on rangeland, pastures, cropland, ditch banks, roadsides, mud flats, stream and lake banks, disturbed sites, and especially in deep and moist soil

IANR Publication

Musk thistle (Carduus nutans)

First identified in Nebraska in 1932, musk thistle currently infests approx. 2.4 million acres in Nebraska.

Found widespread throughout Nebraska. It is expecially abundant in central and eastern Nebraska and is reduced to isolated pockets in the Sandhills. It grows in pastures, rangeland, open woodlands, and fertile lowlands.

IANR Publication

Plumeless thistle (Carduus acanthoides)

Plumeless thistle was first identified in Nebraska in 1930 in Lancaster County. It currently infests approx. 65,000 acres across Nebraska

Plumeless thistle is found primarily in the northeastern portion of Nebraska in pastures, rangeland, and other non-cropped areas.

IANR Publication

Knapweed, Difuse and Spotted

(Centaurea diffusa, Centaurea maculosa)

Spotted and difuse knapweed are considered a major threat to the western rangeland states. Approx. 7,000 acres of Nebraska are infested.

Knapweed is found primarily in north central and northeastern Nebraska in rangeland, meadows, and roadsides, especiall in sandy soils.

IANR Publication

Leafy spurge (Euphorbia esula)

In 1923, leafy spurge was found in York County. Since then, it has spread into 82 counties, infesting approx. 325,000 acres in Nebraska.

Growth Form: Forb
Life Span: Perennial
Origin: Eurasia
Flowering Dates: May-September
Reproduction: Rhizomes and seeds
Height: 0.1-0.9 m (0.3-2.6 ft)
Flower: Greenish-yellow

Leafy spurge is found throughout Nebraska, but it is most abundant in central, north central, and northeastern Nebraska. It infests irrigation ditches, roadsides, fields, woodlands, shelter belts, dirturbed sites, rangeland, and especially subirrigated meadows.

IANR Publication

Purple Loosestrife (Lythrum salicaria)

Introduced as an ornamental, purple loosestrife now infests approx. 13,000 acres in Nebraska.

Purple loosestrife is scattered across Nebraska in marshes, along rivers, ditches, and wet meadows. The largest infestatons are along the Platte River in central Nebraska and along the Missouri River above Gavins Point Dam.

IANR Publication

Saltcedar (Tamarix sp.)

Introduced to the U.S. as erosion control in the 1820's, Saltcedar now infests approx. 15,000 acres in Nebraska.

Saltcedar is found across the Western Great Plains in salt marshes, flood plains, lake shores, and along rivers and streams. In Nebraska, it has been documented on the Platte, Missouri, and Republican Rivers as well as several reservoirs in the state.

IANR Publication

Phragmites (Common Reed)
(Phragmites australis ssp. australis)

Phragmites is found throughout the Great Plains, forming dense patches in wet and moderately fertile soils along banks of ponds, lakes, streams, marshes, roads, ditches, and in wet fields. In Nebraska, the most serious infestations are in the Platte River basin, and isolated infestations in the Republican River basin.

IANR Publication

Woodlands of Eastern Nebraska

Growth Form: