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Rangeland -Pasture Recommendations <br />Yellow Toadflax Identification and Management <br />Yellow toadflax (Linaria vulgaris) is a non-native deep-rooted perennial that <br />spreads by seeds and aggressive, creeping, horizontal roots. Roots can grow 3 or <br />more feet deep with lateral roots extending several yards from the parent plant. <br />Yellow toadflax stems are smooth, erect, leafy, often clumped, and 1 to 2 1 z feet tall. <br />The leaves are pale green, alternate, narrow, pointed at both ends and are about two <br />and one-half inches long. The flowers grow at the base of upper leaves, usually <br />clustered at the top of each stem. The flowers are snapdragon -like in appearance, are <br />yellow with an orange throat and a straight to slightly curved spur. <br />Yellow toadflax seeds usually germinate in May in Colorado. However, shoots <br />from root buds may emerge as early as mid-March. Yellow toadflax typically begins <br />flowering in mid- to late May and, under optimal conditions, may continue to flower <br />into September. A mature yellow toadflax plant may produce up to 500,000 seeds per <br />year. Most seeds germinate the following spring. These seeds may lie dormant in the <br />soil for as long as 10 years. First year plants can produce 90 to 100 secondary shoots <br />from the roots. The combination of prolific seed production and rapid root expansion <br />makes yellow toadflax a formidable invader. The key to controlling yellow toadflax <br />is to eliminate seed production and also to reduce the plant's nutrient reserves in its <br />root system through persistent, long-term management. <br />Yellow toadflax, a member of the Figwort family, sometimes is called "butter <br />and eggs" or "wild snapdragon". Yellow toadflax is a native of Eurasia where it was <br />used to make fabric dyes and for medicinal purposes. It was originally introduced as <br />an ornamental and now is considered an invasive plant throughout much of the <br />United States. It thrives in a variety of soils and climatic conditions and is a strong <br />competitor. Once established, even sites in excellent condition will do little to stop its <br />spread. <br />Combining control measures for yellow toadflax is imperative. The weed <br />needs to be continually stressed, forcing it to exhaust root nutrient stores and <br />eventually die. Of all control methods, prevention is the most important. Maintain <br />