Which of the following two winter annual weeds are native to Nebraska?
- Field pennycress
- Henbit
- Marestail
- Prickly lettuce
- Shepherd’s purse
- Tansy mustard
- Dandelion
Answer: Marestail and tansy mustard (see pictures and learn more about these weeds below.
Figure 1. Marestail
Figure 2. Tansy mustard
Learn more…
Winter annual weeds are plants that emerge in the fall, overwinter as a seedlings, and resume active growth in early spring. Good, bad, or otherwise marestail is a native prairie plant of Nebraska. Marestail is one of the most problematic winter annual weeds to manage in no-till soybean production in the area due with herbicide resistance to glyphosate and ALS. However, marestail is also difficult to control with all herbicides once it starts to bolt from its rosette stage in the spring. Tansy mustard is native to Nebraska and is common in the area too. So where did the other winter annual weeds come from? Field pennycress, prickly lettuce, Shepherd’s purse, and dandelion are all native to portions of Europe and Asia, were introduced to the U.S., and have since spread to Nebraska.
Resources: Identification of Winter Annual Weeds
Get a hard copy of the 2017 Guide for Weed, Disease, and Insect Management in Nebraska at the Dodge or Washington County Extension Office or get it online on how best to control marestail and tansy mustard.
