Gutierrezia sarothrae

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Gutierrezia sarothrae

Secure  (NatureServe)
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Asterids
Order: Asterales
Family: Asteraceae
Genus: Gutierrezia
Species:
G. sarothrae
Binomial name
Gutierrezia sarothrae
Synonyms[1][2]
List of Synonyms
  • Brachyris divaricata
  • Galinsoga linearifolia
  • Gutierrezia corymbosa
  • Gutierrezia digyna
  • Gutierrezia divaricata
  • Gutierrezia diversifolia
  • Gutierrezia euthamiae
  • Gutierrezia fasciculata
  • Gutierrezia filifolia
  • Gutierrezia fulva
  • Gutierrezia furferacea
  • Gutierrezia globosa
  • Gutierrezia goldmanii
  • Gutierrezia greenei
  • Gutierrezia haenkei
  • Gutierrezia ionensis
  • Gutierrezia juncea
  • Gutierrezia laricina
  • Gutierrezia lepidota
  • Gutierrezia linearifolia
  • Gutierrezia linearis
  • Gutierrezia linoides
  • Gutierrezia longifolia
  • Gutierrezia longipappa
  • Gutierrezia myriocephala
  • Gutierrezia pomariensis
  • Gutierrezia scoparia
  • Gutierrezia tenuis
  • Solidago sarothrae
  • Xanthocephalum digynum
  • Xanthocephalum longipappum
  • Xanthocephalum sarothrae
  • Xanthocephalum tenue

Gutierrezia sarothrae is a species of flowering plant in the family Asteraceae known by the common names broom snakeweed, broomweed, snakeweed, and matchweed. It is a subshrub native to much of the western half of North America, from western Canada to northern Mexico, and can be found in a number of arid, grassland, and mountain habitats. It can be toxic to livestock in large quantities, due mainly to the presence of saponins.

The species was utilized by various Native American groups for medicinal and other purposes.

Description

Gutierrezia sarothrae is a

leaves are alternate and linear, and 5 to 63 millimetres (1⁄4 to 2+1⁄2 in) long and 1 to 3 mm (1⁄16 to 1⁄8 in) wide.[4][6] The lower leaves are usually shed before the plant flowers.[5] During its first year of growth, the plant produces a long, woody taproot, and numerous lateral roots as the plant matures.[7]

Close-up of flower heads

Dense clusters of 3–7 small, yellow ray and 2–6 tiny disk flowers form in clusters, 3–6 mm (1⁄8–1⁄4 in) in length,[6] at the end of the stems from mid-July to September.[3][5][8] The flowers are pollinated by various insects, resulting in an oval fruit covered with chaffy scales.[3] The plant reproduces from seeds, which are light, densely hairy, and wind-dispersed.[3][7] A single plant is capable of producing over 9,000 seeds annually, although most ripe seeds fall beneath the parent plant.[7] Seeds can remain viable in the soil for several years; under laboratory conditions seeds have remained viable for at least two years.[7]

G. sarothrae is commonly confused with rabbitbrush, but can be distinguished by the presence of ray flowers, which rabbitbrush plants do not have.[3] It is also similar to littlehead snakeweed (G. microcephala), which has only 1–3 of both ray and disk flowers.[6]

Etymology

The common name matchweed refers to the appearance of the stems and flower heads to matches, whereas broomweed refers to its use as a broom and snakeweed refers to its medicinal use to treat snakebites.[6] It has also been called 'turpentine weed' due to its odour.[6]

Distribution and habitat

A native North American plant, G. sarothrae is found throughout west-central Canada (the

alkaline soils.[7]

Ecology

G. sarothrae is a poor quality browse for most large

pronghorn antelope in some areas, especially during spring and summer, and can comprise up to 28% of the pronghorn antelope's diet.[4] The plant is of little value to cattle and horses, but can be a fair quality winter browse for domestic sheep when there is little access to green forage.[3]

Under natural conditions, G. sarothrae quickly invades disturbed areas, and can minimize soil erosion; for example, it is reportedly able to stabilize loose windblown soils in

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service as low to medium for erosion control potential, low for short-term revegetation potential, and low to medium for long-term revegetation potential.[13]

Management

G. sarothrae is one of the most widespread and damaging

fire-intolerant species, and is severely harmed or killed by fire; immediately after a fire it may be completely removed from an area.[16] However, seeds can remain viable if in the soil, often causing G. sarothrae densities to increase after a fire.[4] This may make it necessary to burn at five to ten year intervals in order to reduce its populations.[17]

Herbicide effectiveness is variable; when herbicide application is effective, populations are controlled for up to five years.[15] Mechanical control is generally ineffective; hoeing the plants just below the soil can be effective, but may be impractical in stony soil.[15] Biological control has also been studied, with a combination of an Argentinean root-boring weevil, Heilipodus ventralis, and an Argentinean moth root-borer, Carmenta haematica, found to be an effective method of control.[14]

Toxicity

G. sarothrae can be toxic to domestic sheep,

goats, and cattle when consumed in large quantities,[11] although domestic goats are moderately resistant to its effects.[18] Its toxicity is due primarily to saponins, which can cause illness, death, or abortion, as well as to alkaloids, terpenes, and flavonols in the plant.[19] The species is also a facultative absorber of selenium, which can cause illness or death in large amounts.[3][20] As little as 9 kilograms (20 pounds) of fresh G. sarothrae consumed by cattle in seven days can cause miscarriages, and in cattle, sheep, and goats consuming ten to 20% of their body weight in two weeks can cause death.[21] Toxicity is generally higher during periods of rapid growth, such as early leaf development, and when grown on sandy rather than on calcareous or clay soils.[11][21]

Uses

G. sarothrae was used by the

Navajo rubbed the ashes of the plant on their bodies to treat headaches and dizziness, and also applied the chewed plant to wounds, snakebites, and areas swollen by insect bites and stings. The Zuni used an infusion of the blossoms as a diuretic and to "make one strong in the limbs and muscles",[22] and an infusion of the whole plant was used topically for muscle aches.[23]

References

  1. ^ "Gutierrezia sarothrae (Pursh) Britton & Rusby". Integrated Taxonomic Information System. Retrieved December 16, 2012.
  2. ^ "Gutierrezia sarothrae (Pursh) Britton & Rusby". The Plant List. Retrieved October 19, 2013.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j "Broom Snakeweed". Range Plants of Utah. Utah State University. Archived from the original on December 3, 2012. Retrieved December 16, 2012.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g "Broom Snakeweed: Gutierrezia sarothrae Pursh" (PDF). Plant Guide. United States Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Service. May 30, 2002. Retrieved December 16, 2012.
  5. ^
    ISBN 978-1-60938-071-7
    . Retrieved December 16, 2012.
  6. ^
    ISBN 978-0-375-40233-3
    .
  7. ^ a b c d e f g "Botanical and Ecological Characteristics". Species: Gutierrezia sarothrae. United States Forest Service. Retrieved December 16, 2012.
  8. OCLC 25708726
    .
  9. ^ "Distribution". Plants Profile: Gutierrezia sarothrae (Pursh) Britton & Rusby. United States Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Service. Retrieved December 16, 2012.
  10. ^ "General Distribution". Species: Gutierrezia sarothrae. United States Forest Service. Retrieved December 16, 2012.
  11. ^ a b c "Importance to Livestock and Wildlife". Species: Gutierrezia sarothrae. United States Forest Service. Retrieved December 16, 2012.
  12. ^ "Value for Rehabilitation of Disturbed Sites". Species: Gutierrezia sarothrae. United States Forest Service. Retrieved December 16, 2012.
  13. ^ Dittberner, Phillip L.; Olson, Michael R. (December 1983). "Table 14. Revegetation-related data". The Plant Information Network (PIN) Data Base: Colorado, Montana, North Dakota, Utah, and Wyoming. United States Department of the Interior, Fish and Wildlife Service. p. 729. Retrieved December 16, 2012.
  14. ^
    doi:10.1006/bcon.1998.0684
    . Retrieved January 3, 2012.
  15. ^ a b c "Other Management Considerations". Species: Gutierrezia sarothrae. United States Forest Service. Retrieved December 16, 2012.
  16. ^ "Fire Management". Species: Gutierrezia sarothrae. United States Forest Service. Retrieved December 16, 2012.
  17. ^ "Fire Ecology". Species: Gutierrezia sarothrae. United States Forest Service. Retrieved December 16, 2012.
  18. JSTOR 4000407
    .
  19. ISBN 978-0-8133-8395-8
    .
  20. ^ "Gutierrezia microcephala". Database of Toxic Plants in the United States. Equines & Toxic Plants. Archived from the original on December 31, 2012. Retrieved December 29, 2012.
  21. ^ a b "Perennial Broomweed, Broom Snakeweed (Gutierrezia microcephala and G. sarothrae)" (PDF). Integrated Toxic Plant Management Handbook. Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service. Archived from the original (PDF) on July 22, 2015. Retrieved December 30, 2012.
  22. ^ Stevenson, Matilda Coxe (1915). "Ethnobotany of the Zuñi Indians" (PDF). Thirtieth annual report of the Bureau of American Ethnology to the Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution: 1908–1909. Washington: Government Printing Office. p. 53. Retrieved October 19, 2013.
  23. PMID 6893476
    .

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