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National Invasive Species Information Center
U.S. Department of Agriculture
Home / Terrestrial Invasives / Terrestrial Plants / Witchweed

Witchweed

View all resources
Witchweed - Invasive.org
Witchweed, parasitic plants - Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services
Scientific Name: 
Striga asiatica (L.) Kuntze (ITIS)
Synonym: 
Striga lutea Lour. (ITIS)
Common Name: 
Witchweed, Asiatic witchweed, red witchweed
Native To: 
Africa and Asia (Werth et al. 1984)
Date of U.S. Introduction: 
First identified in North Carolina in 1956 (Werth et al. 1984)
Means of Introduction: 
Accidental (Spallek et al. 2013)
Impact: 
Parasitic plant that attacks agricultural crops, including corn, sorghum, sugar cane, and rice (Werth et al. 1984)
Current U.S. Distribution: 
North Carolina, South Carolina

Spotlights

Controlling Witchweed Infestations in Africa (Aug 5, 2019)

Cornell University. College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. Cornell Alliance for Science.

Farmers who grow cereal crops in most African countries are all too familiar with the challenges presented by striga, a parasitic plant also known as witchweed that infests farmers’ fields and causes lower yields, or even no harvest at all. Now African scientists are breeding maize that can resist this pest plant as extension agents are offering farmers various solutions for improving yields in areas where the invasive weed is especially prevalent.

Distribution / Maps / Survey Status

Early Detection & Distribution Mapping System (EDDMapS) - Witchweed
University of Georgia. Center for Invasive Species and Ecosystem Health.
Provides state, county, point and GIS data. Maps can be downloaded and shared.

Federally Regulated

Domestic Quarantine Notices (Title 7: Agriculture, Part 301) - Witchweed

U.S. Government Printing Office. Electronic Code of Federal Regulations.

Noxious Weeds Program
USDA. APHIS. Plant Protection and Quarantine.

Includes species listed as a Federal Noxious Weed under the Plant Protection Act, which makes it illegal in the U.S. to import or transport between States without a permit.

Images

Google Images - Witchweed
Google.
Invasive.org - Witchweed
University of Georgia. Center for Invasive Species and Ecosystem Health.

Videos

YouTube - How to Identify Red Witchweed

Google. YouTube; Queensland Department of Agriculture and Fisheries (Australia). Biosecurity Queensland.

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 Witchweed.

Partnership
Fact Sheet - Witchweed (PDF | 889 KB)

Plant Health Australia.

See also: Grains - Fact Sheets for more resources

Federal Noxious Weed Disseminules of the U.S. - Fact Sheet: Striga spp.

USDA. APHIS. PPQ. Center for Plant Health Science and Technology; California Department of Food and Agriculture.

Global Invasive Species Database - Striga asiatica (herb)
IUCN. Species Survival Commission. Invasive Species Specialist Group.
Invasive Plant Atlas of the United States - Witchweed
University of Georgia. Center for Invasive Species and Ecosystem Health.
Invasive Species Compendium - Striga asiatica
CAB International.
Keys and Fact Sheets: Striga asiatica (Red Witchweed)
East African Network for Taxonomy.
Pacific Island Ecosystems at Risk (PIER) - Striga asiatica
USDA. FS. Institute of Pacific Islands Forestry.
Plantwise Technical Factsheet - Witch Weed (Striga asiatica)
CABI. Plantwise Knowledge Bank.
Weeds Australia - Witchweeds (Striga spp.)

Centre for Invasive Species Solutions; Atlas of Living Australia; Australian Government. Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment.

Federal Government
Witchweed Eradication Program in North and South Carolina (Apr 2020) (PDF | 1.6 MB)

USDA. APHIS. Plant Protection and Quarantine.

See also: Environmental Assessments - Noxious Weeds for more resources

PLANTS Database - Asiatic Witchweed
USDA. NRCS. National Plant Data Center.
U.S. National Plant Germplasm System - Striga asiatica

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

International Government
NSW WeedWise: Witchweed
New South Wales Department of Primary Industries (Australia).
Invasive Plants: Prohibited Invasive Plants - Witchweed

Business Queensland (Australia).

State and Local Government
Encycloweedia: Data Sheet - Witchweed
California Department of Food and Agriculture.
See also: Included on California's noxious weed list; see Encycloweedia: Program Details for additional resources
Academic
You Ain't From Around Here! Exotic Invasive of the Quarter: Witchweed (2011) (PDF | 205 KB)
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. Virginia Forest Landowner Education Program.
See also: Publications - Exotic Invasives for more fact sheets
State Plant Pest Information: Witchweed

Clemson University. Regulatory Services.

Citations