• African Rue Plant Mature 215x150

Category A Weed

Caltrop family (Zygophyllaceae)

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African rue (Peganum harmala)

    Stem

    • Up to 2 ft. tall; highly branched and bushy

      Leaves

      • Alternate, bright green and deeply divided; leaflets strap-like (linear), narrow, 0.75-2 in. long, fleshy, lack hair (glabrous) and have smooth edges (margins)

        Flower

        • 5 white petals surround a yellow center; 1 in. diameter; occur at leaf axils along stems

        • Five strap-like, fleshy, green sepals (0.5 in. long) that resemble leaves are found below flower

        • Seed pod is a small (less than 0.5 in. diameter), round capsule with 2-4 chambers; can be green orange or brown

          Root

          • Woody, branched taproot with short creeping roots

            Other

            • Grows best in dry, disturbed sites; often infests roadsides, waste areas, washes and desert areas; known to occur in Churchill, Clark, Mineral and Pershing counties

            • Perennial; reproduces by both seeds and roots

            • All plant parts poisonous to livestock and humans

              Control

              • Repeatedly dig or pull individual plants; remaining roots can produce new plants

              • Apply glyphosate, metsulfuron or imazapyr to actively growing plants