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Spartium junceum

Duncan,

The first part of this message repeats my earlier message.  I accidently
hit the send button rather that the save button--and off the message
went before I had finished editing/sharing the information I found!

To continue...

I can understand your reaction.  I was going to plant clary sage this
spring and then discovered that it was on the 1998 Washington State
Noxious Weed List!

But I also am concerned about exotic plant pests, so I did some research
about Spartium junceum and how weeds are managed in Washington.

The basic problem with Spartium junceum seems to be that it thrives in
our wet winter/dry summer climate, produces seeds that remain viable for
years, and has no natural biological control outside of its native
habitat (the Mediterranean).  By classifying it as a Class A weed, the
State intends for it to be eradicated before it becomes established or
commonplace.

For general information about how weeds are managed in Washington:
http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/fossc/maint/roadside/rcws/rcw_17_10.html

For information about weed management in Mid-pacific Washington:
http://www.midpacific.wsu.edu/weeds.html

For information about why/where Spartium junceum is considered a noxious
pest plant see:

The Nature Conservancy
http://www.catalinas.net/seer/er/plants/sparjunc.htm

Pacific Northwest Pest Plants Council
http://www.wnps.org/eppclet.html

Northwest Environmental News
http://www.halcyon.com/nen/articles/conservation/113097_c2.html

Native Plant Society of Oregon
http://www.teleport.com/nonprofit/npso/noxplant.htm

California Noxious Weed Control Project Inventory
http://endeavor.des.ucdavis.edu/weeds/

California Exotic Pest Plant Council
http://www.igc.apc.org/ceppc/

Department of Botany, University of Hawaii
http://www.botany.hawaii.edu/cpsu/strawgua/other/noxious/noxious5.html

Oregon Department of Agriculture
http://www.oda.state.or.us/Plant/noxiousweeds.html

I realize that this information won't alleviate the angst of having
regulators visit your garden and request removal of a plant without
clear and convincing evidence of its noxious habits.  In fact, while the
sources I located above list Spartium junceum as a noxious weed, few
gave any evidence of why is considered to be one.

My research on this topic has led me to conclude that Wastington State
suffers in comparison to the educational programs of other States. 
Perhaps this is due to the delegation of weed management to the
counties.  On the hand, county management does offer citizens greater
opportunity to become involved--I noticed some weed boards were asking
for volunteers!

duncan wrote:
> 
> The county and the State visited my garden today and they  have
> identified several plants which are on their hit list for removal or
> control.  They have listed Spartium junceum as a Class A weed which is
> non-native species with a limited distribution in Washington.
> Eradication of these species is mandatory in all of Washington State
> including King County.
> 
-- 
Mary Frances Burns
Seattle, WA
mfburns@acm.org
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