IDENTIFICATION
Regional Noxious. Perennial.
A member of the Mustard family. Perennial pepperweed has waxy foliage
and rounded clusters of white flowers at the ends of branches. Leaves
are green or greyish-green and have distinctive white veins in the centre.
This plant has a very deep root system and in maturity can grow to 2 m
in height.
DAMAGE
Perennial pepperweed invades irrigated pastures, cropland, grasslands,
and native meadows. It aggressively colonizes riverbank habitats and can
eliminate competing vegetation.
HABITAT
In British Columbia, perennial pepperweed can be found along roadsides,
in fields, and in disturbed habitats. In other jurisdictions it is most
common on riverbanks, beaches and tidal shores, in marshy floodplains,
valley bottoms, and seasonally wet areas. It is considered a major concern
in the Kootenay and Thompson agricultural regions.
SPREAD
Perennial pepperweed can produce over 6 billion seeds per acre.
Seeds drop from the plant or travel short distances by wind and water.
Care must be taken not to distribute broken pieces of root.
