Botany question

[Nicky]

Have any of you heard of and/or had any experience with Jointed Goat Grass? Scientific name Aegilops cylindrica
This takes you to a pretty good picture of it: http://www.oregon.gov/ODA/PLANT/images/lg/weed_joingrass_wssa.jpg

The only info I can find on it pertains to winter wheat...where it seems to quite a problem. We are starting to see alot of it on our leased rangeround, mostly in an area that was reseeded a couple years ago which leads one to wonder if it came in the seed :???: I guess what we really need to know is do cattle eat it? The areas it is in haven't been grazed this year so we really don't know. I have a feeling it is a bad thing though.

 

[leanin' H]

We call it a weed out here Nicky! It's tough to get rid of without invasive methods like plowing and spraying. I don't think cattle like it much. We have a leased pasture where it has shown up in on section. I'll do some looking and see what I can find for ya.

 

[DejaVu]

Nicky, We have it here.Primarily in wheat ground. A book I have says it reproduces from seed. It's a winter annual. Origin:Europe. It's found in Central and Southern Great Plains, scattered northward in wheat and alfalfa fields, roadsides,waste places, and pastures. It's similar in size to wheat making it difficult to separate. Planting seed wheat contaminated with jointed goatgrass has been the primary cause of the spread of this weedy grass. A neighbor once told me "if you have joint grass, you'll wish you had more bindweed". This probably isn't the correct time of year to spray for it. You should visit with your noxious weed department for the best chemical treatment and time of effective application.