Article Written by:
Kirk McDaniel, Extension Range Specialist
And Provided by
New Mexico State University http://aces.nmsu.edu/pubs
Snakeweeds, often called turpentine weed, rockweed, matchweed, or yellow top, are widely distributed throughout most of New Mexico. Plant numbers vary widely from one location to another and from one year to the next. Snakeweed populations are cyclic over time. High numbers of plants grow vigorously when there is enough soil moisture and decrease dramatically during drought or stress. There is no well-defined pattern in the snakeweed population cycle because seedlings emerge whenever environmental conditions are best. Snakeweeds are a significant weed problem on several million acres in central and eastern New Mexico (fig. 1). The problem is greatest on shallow soils underlain by caliche or limestone bedrock. Soils disturbed by farming or mechanical brush control practice often develop dense stands of snakeweed that dominate range sites of moderate productivity potential. Rangelands that are overgrazed or are in poor range condition usually have greater numbers of snakeweed than comparable areas in good or excellent range condition. Stands of 100,000 plants per acre are common.
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