Stem

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

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)
African rue Austrian fieldcress

Flower

  • 5 white petals surround a yellow center; 1 in. diameter; occur at leaf axils along stems
  • 5 strap-like, fleshy, green sepals (0.5 in. long) that resemble leaves that 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.
Austrian fieldcress flower
Austrian fieldcress flower

Root

  • Woody, branched taproot with short, creeping roots
African Rue
Austrian fieldcress plant

 

Other

  • Grows best in dry, disturbed sites; often infests roadsides, waste areas, washes and desert areas; known to occur in Churchill, Mineral, Washoe, and White Pine 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, imazapyr or metsulfuron to actively growing plants
Blecker, L., Creech, E., Dick, J., Gephart, S., Hefner, M., Kratsch, H., Moe, A., Schultz, B. 2020, Nevada Noxious Weed Field Guide – Austrian fieldcress, Extension, University of Nevada, Reno, Field Guide

Extension Associated Contacts

Heidi Kratsch
Heidi Kratsch
 

Also of Interest:

 
Managing Austrian Fieldcress
This fact sheet contains several ways to manage Austrian fieldcress by showcasing the habitat, impact, and different methods to control the noxious perennial weed.
 Graham, J. and Johnson W. 2004, Extension | University of Nevada, Reno, FS-04-11
 

Associated Programs

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Master Gardeners of Washoe County

Master Gardeners provide free, research-based horticulture information to Nevadans.

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Master Gardeners of Nevada

Program trains local gardeners to provide research-based horticulture information to Nevadans

Garden plant and pest sprayers image by Olga Seifutdinova from Getty Images

Integrated Pest Management

Integrated Pest Management program is a long-term management strategy that uses a combination of tactics to reduce pests to tolerable levels with potentially lower costs for the pest manager and minimal effect on the environment.