Origin: Europe. PREVENT Centaurea solstitalis Family: Asteraceae (Sunflower). It is easily recognizable from its brilliant yellow flowers, and cactus like spines. Bangasternus orientalis, or the yellow starthistle bud weevil, reduces seed production of yellow starthistle plants by 50 to 60%. Yellow starthistle - Centaurea solstitialis. micranthos (invasive), diffuse knapweed, Centaurea diffusa (invasive), meadow knapweed, Centaurea x moncktonii (invasive), and brown knapweed, Centaurea jacea (invasive) – These knapweeds have pink or white flowers, unlike the yellow flowers of yellow starthistle and they lack the one inch long spines on their flowering heads that yellow starthistle has. Adults overwinter outside the host plant, leaving their … Genetics Yellow starthistle is diploid (2n=16), with a large amount of genetic variation (Sun, 1997; Sun and Ritland, 1998). Growth Form/Reproduction: Winter annual. It is poisonous to horses. Yellow Starthistle Centaurea solstitialis L. Sunflower family (Asteraceae) NATIVE RANGE Africa, temperate Asia and Eurasia (Balkan-Asia Minor, the Middle East and south-central Europe) Mediterranean region of southern Europe and northern Africa, especially Turkey DESCRIPTION Yellow starthistle is an annual herbaceous plant. Spotted knapweed, Centaurea stoebe spp. Weed Seed - Yellow Starthistle (Centaurea solstitialis) Plant pest card - Yellow starthistle. Consult the PLANTS Web site and your State Department of Natural Resources for this plant’s current status (e.g., threatened or endangered species, state noxious status, and wetland indicator values). Yellow starthistle inhabits open hills, grasslands, open woodlands, fields, roadsides, and rangelands, and it is considered one of the most serious rangeland weeds in the state. However, Yellow Starthistle growth rates can decline as its density increases. Legal Status Central Kootenay: Weed Control Act, Forest and Range Practices Act, Community Charters Act. Other Common Names: St. Barnaby’s thistle, yellow cockspur. Adults cause minor defoliation, with the majority of the damage caused by larval feeding. Centaurea solstitialis Photo courtesy Bob Case. Goats will eat the plant even in the spiny stages. Yellow starthistle is in the Asteraceae family and is a long-lived winter annual; Stems are erect, rough, branching and can grow up to 1 m in height. ... For more details check out the Invasive Species Compendium datasheet on Centaurea solstitialis (yellow starthistle). Dense populations of this plant result in lowered yield and quality of forages and occasionally crops. Invasive plants should never be considered as forage. Sometimes it can grow in clusters that appear shrubby. Yellow star-thistle is a listed noxious weed and is invasive in many western states. Yellow starthistle is an invasive plant found in pastures and rangelands. Overgrazing will reduce the ability of other vegetation to recover and shade out the starthistle. Grazing reduces biomass and seed produc-tion. Common names: yellow starthistle Centaurea solstitialis (yellow starthistle) is a bushy winter annual (family Asteraceae) that invades 12 million acres in California. Perennial grasses can compete against yellow starthistle invasions, particularly species that can initiate growth in the fall. Invasive Plant Species of West Virginia Jil M. Swearingen, Survey of invasive plants occurring on National Park Service lands, 2000-2007 John Randall, The Nature Conservancy, Survey of TNC Preserves, 1995. Yellow starthistle is an invasive herbaceous annual or biennial of the Asteraceae family that spreads by seeds, forming dense stands in open, sunny areas (Maddox, 1981). Yellow starthistle, Centaurea solstitialis, is a particularly nasty type of invasive knapweed in the Aster family. Seed. 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