CNPS East Bay

Volunteer ·

Stinkwort: All Hands on Deck

A young stinkwort plant with a long taproot, allowing it to access soil moisture late into the summer. Photo by Barbara M. Leitner.

Regular readers of the Bay Leaf know that stinkwort (Dittrichia graveolens) is a local plant pest. It’s non-native, invasive, rapid-spreading, toxic to livestock, persistent…and it causes a nasty rash. You can help control it, and you can make a difference.

I’ll be starting to remove stinkwort from public spaces in the Lamorinda area in late July and early August. It’s easy to do then because stinkwort doesn’t flower or set seed for a while longer. You can learn about how to identify it, how to remove it successfully, and how to reach out to property owners and land managers in your area.

Want to find out more, join me, or start your own stinkwort removal project? Please do! bleitner@pacbell.net

Before the weed warriors arrive: large stinkwort infestation. Photo by Barbara M. Leitner.
An hour later. When all stinkwort is removed before seed set, the following year will have few if any plants (if no seed is introduced from elsewhere). Photo by Barbara M. Leitner.

— Barbara M. Leitner, Corresponding Secretary and Stinkwort Project Coordinator, CNPS East Bay Chapter