Smelly invader takes root in Pima County, threatens local ecology

[UngulateNerd92]

A smelly plant has taken root in the community, and the stench isn’t the only thing that’s worrisome.

Stinknet (Oncosiphon piluliferum), also called Globe Chamomile, is a noxious and invasive weed species that has rapidly spread throughout Arizona over the last decade, and has recently invaded urban and rural areas of Pima County.

Though the infestation is not rampant, health officials and conservationists agree that Pima County is at a critical stage of controlling the spread. If the spring blooming annual continues to grow unchecked, it could pose a huge threat to public health and the environment – outcompeting native plants, releasing toxic allergens into the air, and increasing the risk and magnitude of wildland fires.

Smelly invader takes root in Pima County, threatens local ecology

 

[UngulateNerd92]

@Arizona Docent being a fellow resident of Pima County, you might appreciate this article.

 

[Arizona Docent]

I know there is an ongoing battle to remove non-native bufflegrass, which creates wildfires the desert normally does not experience. And now this, just sad.

 

[UngulateNerd92]

I know there is an ongoing battle to remove non-native bufflegrass, which creates wildfires the desert normally does not experience. And now this, just sad.

Yeah, the Arizona Sonora Desert Museum does make note of the bufflegrass problem in their magazine "Sonoriensis". Dealing with invasive species can be like a game of whack-a-mole.