Stem

  • Wirelike, 6-28 in. tall, erect and slender
Photo of Ventenata plant

Leaves

  • Flat, narrow leaves, 0.6-2 in. long; leaves at base of plant; ligules are membranous and 0.04-0.15 in. long
Photo of a hand holding a Ventenata plant

Flower

  • Relaxed, open panicle, 8-10 in. long with spikelets at the end of spreading branches holding 3 florets 0.6 in. long; at least 1 floret will have a twisted awn 0.75-1 in. long attached to the lemma
Photo of Ventenata seeds

Root

  • Shallow fibrous roots
Photo of Ventenata plant

Other

  • Grows in open, disturbed areas and along roadsides; can establish on bare, dry soils; known to occur in Elko, Eureka and Washoe counties
  • Winter annual; high in silica, litter builds up on soil surface, similar to medusahead
  • Can be grazed early in the season, unpalatable to livestock as seedhead develops
 

Control

  • Hand-pulling is effective for small infestations; mowing can prevent seed production, repeated mowing may be required; burning can remove thatch, but it does not control the seedbank
  • Indaziflam or imazapic preemergence herbicides can be applied in the fall, preferably after the thatch layer is removed; glyphosate or rimsulfuron can be applied 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 – Ventenata, Extension, University of Nevada, Reno, Field Guide

Learn more about the author(s)

Heidi Kratsch
Heidi Kratsch
 

Also of Interest:

 
Ventenata (Ventenata dubia) Response to Grazing and Prescribed Fire on the Pacific Northwest Bunchgrass Prairie Luke W. Ridder, Lesley Morris, Michelle A. Day, Becky Kerns 2022, Rangeland Ecology & Management 80(1):1-9
Historical Fire and Ventenata dubia Invasion in a Temperate Grassland
Ventenata is an invasive annual grass that has rapidly expanded its range across temperate grassland and shrub-steppe ecosystems in western North America.
 Luke W. Ridder, JoAnna M.Perrena, Lesley R.Morris, Bryan A.Endress, Robert V.Taylord, Bridgett J.Naylore 2021, Rangeland Ecology & Management, Vol 75, March 2021, Pg. 35-40
 

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