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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
University of Georgia. Center for Invasive Species and Ecosystem Health.
Provides state, county, point and GIS data. Maps can be downloaded and shared.
Images
Videos
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
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
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
Sage Grouse Initiative. Great Basin Factsheet Series.
University of Georgia. Center for Invasive Species and Ecosystem Health.
Federal Government
USDA. FS. Rocky Mountain Research Station. Fire Sciences Laboratory.
USDA. ARS. National Genetic Resources Program. GRIN-Global.
State and Local Government
Plumas-Sierra Noxious Weeds Management Group (California).
See also: Agricultural Brochures for more species
California Department of Food and Agriculture.
See also: Included on California's noxious weed list; see Encycloweedia: Program Details for additional resources
Colorado Department of Agriculture. Conservation Services Division. Noxious Weed Program.
Academic
University of California. Weed Research and Information Center.
University of Nebraska - Lincoln. Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources.
Professional
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.