Download Longspine Sandbur - Noxious Weed Control Board of Grant County

Washington Noxious Weed Law
Where can I find more information?
Longspine Sandbur
Why we have weed laws:
Noxious Weed Control Board
Cenchrus longispinus
Weed laws establish all property owners’ responsibility for helping to prevent and control
the spread of noxious weeds. Since plants grow
without regard to property lines or political jurisdictions, everyone’s cooperation is needed – city
gardeners, farmers, government land agencies,
foresters, and ranchers all have a role to play.
of Grant County
32 “C” Street N.W. Room 321
Ephrata, WA 98823
Washington State
Noxious Weed Control Board
PO Box 42560
1111 Washington St. SE
What it means to control weeds:
Controlling noxious weeds means not letting
weeds reproduce. Usually, that means not letting
Olympia, WA 98504 –2560
(360) 902-2053
www.nwcb.wa.gov
them go to seed. Legally, control means to prevent the dispersal of all propagating parts capable of forming a new plant, so, for instance, if
the plant spreads by sending out roots, control
would include eliminating all roots.
Who administers the weed law:
Education, coordination, and enforcement activities are carried out by the Washington State
Noxious Weed Control Board, the Washington
State Department of Agriculture, the local County Noxious Weed Control Board, and the local
County Weed Districts.
Noxious Weed Control
Board of Grant County
Longspine Sandbur
Longspine Sandbur is native to central and
How to Control Longspine Sandbur

southern U.S. The common name of sandbur
refers to the fact that this grass is adapted to
porous and sandy soils. The seeds have stiff
spiny spines on the burs that can puncture human skin
How to identify Longspine Sandbur

General Description: Annual that forms mats,
blooming mid summer to late fall. Plants are
wind pollinated.
Flower Description: Inflorescence can be partially enclosed in sheath, made up of spiny
burs, typically with 2 (up to 4) florets each. Numerous spines per bur, sometimes purple
tinged. Burs have fine hairs.
Leaf Description: Leaves have open (not
fused) sheaths. Sheaths compressed and
keeled. Hairs present along upper sheath margins and where leaf blade and sheath meet
(ligules). Leaf blades can be flat or folded, generally up to 8.5 inches long by 0.12 to 0.24
inches wide.

Sandbur frequently moves into adjacent fields from road shoulders,
fence lines, and other poorly vegetated areas. Controlling sandbur in
these areas is the best way to keep
the weed from infesting cropland.
Sandbur seedlings can be controlled
easily by shallow tilling, hoeing, or
hand pulling. Repeated tillage that
controls seedlings prior to seed set
can reduce the seed bank over time.
There are several effective herbicides. Please refer to the PNW Weed
Management Handbook for specific
chemical recommendations:
www.pnwhandbooks.org/weed
What is a noxious weed?
'Noxious weed' is the traditional, legal term
for any invasive, non-native plant that threatens agricultural crops, local ecosystems or
fish and wildlife habitat. The term ‘noxious
weeds’ includes non-native grasses, flowering
plants, shrubs and trees. It also includes
aquatic plants that invade wetlands, rivers,
lakes and shorelines.
Does the law require weed control?
Washington's weed law (RCW 17.10) mandates the control of many weed species.
"Control" is defined in WAC 16-750 as the
prevention of all seed production. RCW 17.10
holds landowners, including counties and
state land agencies, responsible for controlling weeds on their property.
Federally
owned lands are subject to the Federal Noxious Weed Act. Since many people are unfamiliar with noxious weeds, the state and
Stem Description: Stems are solid and typically grow 4 to 31.5 inches tall. Stems sometimes growing along the ground and root at
the nodes
county weed boards and weed districts are
Fruit/Seed Description: Seed in burs that turn
brown as seeds ripen.
a complete list of all state noxious weeds,
available to provide information on identification and control options. Each year an updated list of noxious weeds is developed. For
visit the State Weed Board Webpage at
www.nwcb.wa.gov .