Rangeland Weeds & Grasses – Species Codes and Key Identifiers

84 vocabulary flashcards covering plant species codes, common names, and distinguishing traits mentioned in the lecture notes.

AMDR (Annual broomweed)

Yellow-flowered forb commonly called annual broomweed.

XATE (Sleepy daisy)

Yellow flower; more scaly flower head than AMDR.

AMPS (Western ragweed)

Common ragweed of the West; allergenic foliage.

ARLU (Sagewort)

Hairy, pubescent leaves with sage-like odor.

ASNU (Small-flowered milkvetch)

Purple-and-white pea-type flowers.

ASSPP (Antelope horn milkweed)

Milkweed bearing horn-shaped pods; greenish flowers.

CANU (Musk thistle)

Large pink, nodding thistle flower heads.

CEAM (American basketflower)

Purple or pink thistle-like blooms with basket-shaped bracts.

CHER (Rose heath)

Small white composite “heath” flowers.

EULA (Hoary sandmat)

Gray-green, sand-loving prostrate spurge.

EUMA (Prostrate sandmat)

Flat-growing spurge mat on sandy soils.

COAR (Field bindweed)

White morning-glory flower; twining vine.

COEQ (Texas bindweed)

White bindweed bloom with maroon throat.

DICA (Palmer’s spectaclepod)

White flowers; two round “spectacle” seedpods.

DITE (Poorjoe)

Small white four-petaled flowers close to ground.

DYLI (Snakeherb)

Purple tubular flowers; low creeping habit.

ERCA (Horseweed)

Tall fleabane with many small heads; weedy annual.

ERCI (Redstem filaree)

Purple stork’s-bill flowers; reddish geranium stems.

ERMO (Plains fleabane)

White daisy-like heads native to plains.

ERSPP (Eastern Mojave buckwheat)

Buckwheat with pink flower clusters.

EUSP (Reticulate-seeded spurge)

Spurge with netted seed surface.

Dakota mock vervain

Purple verbena-like flowers; prairie species.

GRSQ (Curlycup gumweed)

Yellow sticky heads; shiny resinous leaves with curled cups.

GUSA (Broom sneezeweed)

Yellow ray flowers; broom-shaped habit.

HEAM (Bitter sneezeweed)

Yellow composite; bitter foliage causes livestock issues.

HEAN (Annual sunflower)

Yellow rays, brown disk; common roadside sunflower.

LASE (Prickly lettuce)

Spiny-margined lettuce leaves; milky sap.

LEDE (Prairie pepperweed)

Peppery-smelling mustard with many small pods.

LIPR (Meadow flax)

Light purple flax-like five-petaled flowers.

LITE (Texas yellowstar)

Bright yellow star-shaped composite flower.

MATA (Tahoka daisy)

Showy purple aster with yellow center.

MEPO (Burclover)

Yellow clover flowers; spiny burs on clover-like leaves.

MEOL (Stickleaf)

Yellow flower; tacky leaves that stick to clothing.

MOCI (Lemon beebalm)

Purple tiered blooms with citrus scent.

MIMI (Catclaw sensitive briar)

Pink pom-pom bloom; leaves fold when touched.

OEHA (Sundrops)

Showy yellow evening-primrose flowers.

OHBE (Pitseed goosefoot)

Chenopod with pit-marked seeds; weedy annual.

OESU (Scarlet beeblossom)

Red or white four-petaled evening-primrose flowers.

OXAL (Creeping woodsorrel)

Yellow sorrel flowers; clover-like leaves.

PLPA (Woolly plantain)

White woolly hairs on narrow leaves and spikes.

PLRH (Redseed plantain)

Plantain with green to reddish flowers/seeds.

PHLO (Long-leaved groundcherry)

Yellow flower with maroon spots; inflated husk fruit.

PHPI (Smallflower groundcherry)

Small yellow blossom, maroon center; husked berry.

QULO (Purple groundcherry)

Purple corolla groundcherry; husk-covered fruit.

PYPA (Smallflower desert chicory)

Delicate yellow chicory-like blossom.

SEFL (Threadleaf groundsel)

Yellow daisy heads on threadlike leaves.

SERO (Two-leaf senna)

Yellow pea-type flowers; two prominent leaflets.

SIAB (Spreading sida)

Yellow hibiscus-like blooms; spreading habit.

SOLE (Silverleaf nightshade)

Purple star flower; silvery leaves and yellow berries.

SORO (Buffalobur nightshade)

Spiky burs; yellow star flowers; don’t touch!

SPCO (Scarlet globemallow)

Red cup-shaped mallows on gray stems.

STNI (Diamond-flowers)

Tiny white diamond-shaped blooms.

TELA (Cut-leaf germander)

White lip flowers; deeply cut leaves.

THFI (Stiff greenthread)

Yellow rays around brown disk; threadlike leaves.

TRDU (Yellow salsify)

Yellow dandelion-like flower; goat-beard seedhead.

TRRA (Branched noseburn)

Resembles Sida; triangular leaves, hairy pods with stinging hairs.

VEBA (Baldwin’s ironweed)

Rich purple ironweed flower clusters.

ZIGR (Rocky Mountain zinnia)

Small yellow zinnia with few rays.

ANGE (Big bluestem)

Tallgrass with “turkey-foot” three-parted seedhead.

ARPU (Purple threeawn)

Fine grass with purplish triple awns.

OWB (Old World bluestem)

Introduced bluestem; “turkey-foot” seed clusters.

BOCU (Sideoats grama)

Zigzag stem bearing dangling oat-like spikelets.

BODA (Buffalograss)

Low rhizomatous turf; curly blades and compact heads.

BOLA (Silver bluestem)

Fluffy white-silver inflorescence on bluestem.

BRCA (Rescuegrass)

Flattened drooping panicle; hairy collar on leaves.

CEIN (Coastal sandbur)

Grass with bur-covered inflorescence; hairy collar.

ELCA (Canada wild rye)

Nodding awned spikes; cool-season native rye.

GOAT (Jointed goatgrass)

Wheat-like spikes; intermittent hairs along blade.

HIMU (Tobosagrass)

Densely tufted perennial with curly leaves.

HOPU (Little barley)

Short barley; notched seedheads with long bristles.

JAP (Japanese brome)

Drooping brome panicle; invasive winter annual.

NALE (Texas wintergrass)

Single-flowered spikelets with long awns; cool season.

PASM (Winter wheatgrass)

Blue-green winter wheat look-alike perennial.

PAOB (Vine mesquite)

Spikelets in bead-like clusters (little buds).

SCPA (Tumblegrass)

Seedhead curves downward; breaks off to tumble.

SOHA (Johnsongrass)

Tall cane-like grass; white midrib; reddish pyramid panicle.

SPCR (Sand dropseed)

Hairy-collared leaves; concealed pyramidal panicle.

TRAL (White tridens)

Whitish plume-like inflorescence on tridens grass.

BULA (Chittamwood)

Woody buckthorn tree; glossy leaves.

PRGL (Honey mesquite)

Thorny legume tree with sweet pods.

JUPI (Redberry juniper)

Evergreen juniper bearing red berries.

ZIOB (Lotebush)

Spiny shrub; small bluish drupe fruit.

SEGR (Catclaw acacia)

Shrub with curved “catclaw” thorns and puffball flowers.

CEOC (Hackberry)

Deciduous tree with warty bark and orange drupes.