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Controlling Cynara Cardunculus (Artichoke Thistle, Cardoon, etc.)
| Content Provider | Semantic Scholar |
|---|---|
| Author | Kelly, Mike Pepper, Alan E. |
| Copyright Year | 1996 |
| Abstract | C. cardunculus has large, deeply lobed leaves and can be 5-6 feet in height and 5 feet in diameter. The solitary composite flowering heads have spiny phyllaries and showy purple disk flowers. Like the globe artichoke, the bases of the phyllaries and the fleshy recepticle of Cynara cardunculus are edible. Others have reported that the petioles and roots are also edible if properly prepared (3,5). Cynara has a large perennial tap root, from which the plant regenerates each year. The artichoke grows well in several regions of California, and has been a problem invasive in San Diego, Orange, and Los Angeles Counties, the San Francisco Bay area, portions of the Central Valley, and elsewhere. C. cardunculus has long been recognized as a horrific pest plant on poorly managed and overgrazed range lands. The artichoke thistle can also become a serious invasive in relatively undisturbed natural habitats such as coastal sage scrub, chaparral, and riparian woodlands. The 3,500 acre Los Penasquitos Canyon Preserve, located in a rapidly urbanizing area of San Diego, California, encompasses 14 distinct plant communities and over a dozen sensitive and endangered plant species (6). Prior to control efforts, there were populations of artichoke scattered throughout the preserve, ranging in size from a few volunteer individuals to solid stands several acres in size. In one 14 acre site, an abandoned sewage pond, artichoke constituted about 50% of the vegetative cover, in a mix with early successional chaparral species. In several other sites the plant formed monocultures several acres in size. In these colonies, artichoke constituted 100% of the vegetation cover, to the complete exclusion of all other plant species. Plants in similar populations have been known to reach densities of 20,000 plants per acre (1). We estimate that prior to the instigation of control measures in 1991, there were greater than 200,000 plants in the preserve. The large infestations were centers for seed production, facilitating the dissemination of outliers. Once such a massive seed production was established, even undisturbed native habitats were vulnerable. The most invasible habitats were disturbed locations, European annual grasslands, and open forb covered (Hemizonia fasciculata, |
| File Format | PDF HTM / HTML |
| Alternate Webpage(s) | http://www.cal-ipc.org/symposia/archive/pdf/1996_symposium_proceedings1817.pdf |
| Language | English |
| Access Restriction | Open |
| Content Type | Text |
| Resource Type | Article |
