Root-stealing Mediterranean weed confirmed spreading in Humboldt County
iNaturalist: michaelkauffmann
Invasive Species
If you tend a native meadow or pasture near the Northern California coast, this is the plant quietly tapping into your grass roots for water and nutrients while looking harmless from above.
Yellow Glandweed looks like an ordinary yellow-flowered plant, but it's actually a sneaky freeloader: its roots latch onto nearby grasses and pull water and nutrients straight from them. Someone spotted and photographed one growing along Greenwood Heights Drive in Kneeland, California, and other naturalists confirmed the identification, making it an official 'research-grade' record. That confirmed sighting helps scientists track exactly where this introduced species has spread.
Key Findings
Observation reached 'research-grade' status on iNaturalist, meaning multiple identifiers confirmed the species ID
Location recorded: Greenwood Heights Drive, Kneeland, California, a rural area in Humboldt County
Bellardia viscosa is a hemiparasitic plant, drawing water and nutrients from the roots of nearby grasses
chevron_right Technical Summary
A citizen scientist confirmed a sighting of Yellow Glandweed, a Mediterranean plant that steals nutrients from grass roots, growing in Kneeland, California, adding a verified data point to tracking how this species spreads through the region.
Abstract Preview
Original paper
Yellow Glandweed (Bellardia viscosa) observed in Greenwood Heights Dr, Kneeland, CA, US
Research-grade observation of Yellow Glandweed in Greenwood Heights Dr, Kneeland, CA, US.
open_in_new Read full abstractAbstract copyright held by the original publisher.
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Parentucellia viscosa is a species of flowering plant in the family Orobanchaceae known by the common names yellow bartsia and yellow glandweed. It is native to Europe, but it can be found on other continents, including Australia and North America, as an introduced species.