Why is the ashy dogweed endangered

Also desert bahia has smooth to notched to lobed leaf edges. Generally, ashy dogweed can tolerate infrequent, low-impact disturbances that turn over the soil but leave part of the seed bank in place and allow it time to recover.

Continual soil disturbance eventually depletes the soil seed bank. Studies have shown an increase in germination and establishment of ashy dogweed at root-plowed sites where livestock was excluded. However, practices that remove the seed bank, like blading, or establish pasture grasses, which out-compete ashy dogweed, will decrease population growth Williamson Description Ashy dogweed is an erect perennial with numerous, woolly, 10 to 30 cm tall stems and minute, oil-bearing cells which give off a strong aroma when the plant is crushed.

Ashy dogweed has numerous stems and thread-like leaves. Similar Species Woolly dogweed Thymophylla micropoides occurs in the same vicinity as ashy dogweed; however, woolly dogweed has spreading, shorter stems, less than or equal to 10 cm tall and spoon-shaped leaves. Credit: Bill Carr. Floral Characters null.

Habitat Ashy dogweed occurs in sandy soils in level or gently rolling grasslands with scattered shrubs. Achene viability averaged Density, recruitment and size of individuals varied significantly between two populations.

In one population previously disturbed , plants were small and density at the end of monitoring was 4. Recruitment was observed at 21 plants for the year. In a second population not previously disturbed , individuals were larger and density was lower throughout the study period at 0.

No recruitment was observed in this population. In addition to the results obtained from these two populations, the controlled field experiment suggested that soil disturbance increases plant density. A significantly higher number of individuals were recruited into the root-plow plots than in root-plow seeded with buffelgrass or control plots. No significant difference was observed between root-plow and bladed plots.

Aboveground and belowground biomass accumulation was also significantly greater in the root-plow plots than in bladed or control plots. Results indicate that T. Pollen viability was consistently high, while achene viability was low and variable depending on the year.

Density, recruitment, and size structure of individuals was variable between the two monitored populations, presumably due to site characteristics. Earth's Endangered Creatures. Find a Creature. Advanced Search. Search by Region. Endangered Species List. Ashy Dogweed. Creature Profile. This article is only an excerpt. If it appears incomplete or if you wish to see article references, visit the rest of its contents here. Featured Article. Photos that will make you think twice before littering.