Medusahead | National Invasive Species Information Center

Medusahead - Photo by Steve Dewey; Utah State University

Scientific Name:

Taeniatherum caput-medusae (L.) Nevski (ITIS)

Synonym:

Elymus caput-medusae L.; Taeniatherum asperum(Simonkai) Nevski; Hordeum caput-medusae (L.) Crosson & Durand (ITIS)

Common Name:

Medusahead, medusa's head, medusahead rye, medusahead grass

Native To:

Mediterranean Region (Archer 2001)

Date of U.S. Introduction:

First discovered in 1887 (DiTomaso et al. 2008)

Means of Introduction:

Introduced as a seed contaminant (DiTomaso et al. 2008)

Impact:

Crowds out native species and forage for livestock (Archer 2001)

Distribution / Maps / Survey Status

Early Detection & Distribution Mapping System (EDDMapS) - Medusahead

University of Georgia. Center for Invasive Species and Ecosystem Health.

Provides state, county, point and GIS data. Maps can be downloaded and shared.

Images

Google Images - Medusahead

Google.

Invasive.org - Medusahead

University of Georgia. Center for Invasive Species and Ecosystem Health.

Videos

YouTube - Medusa Head

Google. YouTube; Montana Department of Agriculture.

Selected Resources

The section below contains highly relevant resources for this species, organized by source. Or, to display all related content view all resources for Medusahead.

Council or Task Force

Fact Sheet: Medusahead (Jan 2014) (PDF | 759 KB)

Alberta Invasive Plant Council (Canada).

See also: Fact Sheets for more information about individual invasive species, including those listed as "Prohibited Noxious" and "Noxious" under the Alberta Weed Control Act

Invasive Plants of California's Wildlands - Taeniatherum caput-medusae

California Invasive Plant Council.

In online book: Bossard, C.C., J.M. Randall, and M.C. Hoshovsky (Editors). 2000. Invasive Plants of California's Wildlands. University of California Press. Berkeley, CA

Partnership

Limiting Medusahead Invasion and Impacts in the Great Basin (2015) (PDF | 1.72 MB)

Sage Grouse Initiative. Great Basin Factsheet Series.

Invasive Plant Atlas of the United States - Medusahead

University of Georgia. Center for Invasive Species and Ecosystem Health.

Invasive Species Compendium - Taeniatherum caput-medusae

CAB International.

Federal Government

Cheatgrass and Medusahead

DOI. USGS. Forest and Rangeland Ecosystem Science Center.

Fire Effects Information System (FEIS) - Taeniatherum caput-medusae

USDA. FS. Rocky Mountain Research Station. Fire Sciences Laboratory.

PLANTS Database - Medusahead

USDA. NRCS. National Plant Data Center.

U.S. National Plant Germplasm System - Taeniatherum caput-medusae

USDA. ARS. National Genetic Resources Program. GRIN-Global.

State and Local Government

Agricultural Brochure - Medusahead (PDF | 183 KB)

Plumas-Sierra Noxious Weeds Management Group (California).

See also: Agricultural Brochures for more species

Encycloweedia: Data Sheet - Medusahead

California Department of Food and Agriculture.

See also: Included on California's noxious weed list; see Encycloweedia: Program Details for additional resources

Medusahead

Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources.

Noxious Weed Species - Medusahead

Colorado Department of Agriculture. Conservation Services Division. Noxious Weed Program.

Academic

MontGuide - Medusahead (Feb 2018)

Montana State University Extension.

Medusahead Management Guide for the Western States (2014) (PDF | 6.17 MB)

University of California. Weed Research and Information Center.

Medusahead (Nov 13, 2013)

Washington State University. Whitman County Extension.

CropWatch - Detecting Invasive Species: Medusahead

University of Nebraska - Lincoln. Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources.

Professional

Noxious Weed Information - Medusahead

Colorado Weed Management Association.

Citations

Archer, A.J. 2001. Taeniatherum caput-medusae. In: Fire Effects Information System. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, Fire Sciences Laboratory.
Integrated Taxonomic Information System. Taeniatherum caput-medusae. [Accessed Sep 10, 2014].
DiTomaso, J.M., G.B. Kyser, M.R. George, M.P. Doran, and E.A. Laca. 2008. Control of medusahead (Taeniatherum caput-medusae) using timely sheep grazing. Invasive Plant Science and Management 1(3):241-247.