Toxic Weed Apparently Succumbing to Herbicide
From Times Staff and Wire Reports
A state conservation district branch says it is making headway in controlling the noxious yellow star thistle weed.
The yellow star thistle, known as the “Wicked Weed of the West,” was accidentally imported from Eurasia around the turn of the century in alfalfa seed and has infested as many as 15 million acres in California, affecting farms and ranches.
The weed is toxic to horses and makes fields virtually impassable with its inch-long, needlelike spines and 5-foot-long stems.
Since 1999, the Tehachapi Resource Conservation District has been spraying a new herbicide that is harmless to livestock and breaks down quickly. The herbicide seems to be working, said Chuck McCullough, director of the weed eradication project.
