Puncturevine in Indian Creek (Moab Area in General)

Some of you may know it as goat heads. Spikey little bastards that get into everything. Last year, about this time, we pulled a bunch (buckets full) from around the parking areas for Supercrack, Beef Basin, and Blue Gramma. I have seen small amounts present around the parking areas (all in seedling stage) and starting to see some at crag bases. As this is recent in the Indian Creek area but is prevalent at other crags around Moab, I'm assuming we're bringing it in. As we start returning to The Creek for fall season, if you see this stuff, please feel free to pull it out (its non-native/invasive). Best method is to use gloves and bag it up to throw away or burn. Monsoonal moisture triggers the bloom, so the little yellow flowers and distinctive leaves are obvious right now. 

This is real nasty stuff and we don't want it at all the crag bases. Small amounts of it around right now, if we can catch it in the first couple years, we can stop it from becoming established/prevalent in the area. 

Burn it with fire!!!!!!!! Kill! Kill! Kill!!

Appreciate the psa. Your photo is of puncturevine (distinctive goathead seeds). But there is a native plant that looks almost identical to puncturevine but that belongs in that plant community and shouldnot be pulled. The native is in the same plant family (Zygophyllaceae) as puncturevine and the same growth form, the only really obvious difference is the seeds.

The native is Kallstroemia californica. I'd link to the Wikipedia pages for Tribulus terrestris (puncturevine) and Kallstroemia californica but don't know how to link on MP. Maybe someone could do that? You'll how alike they look.

Jay Goodwin wrote:

Appreciate the psa. Your photo is of puncturevine (distinctive goathead seeds). But there is a native plant that looks almost identical to puncturevine but that belongs in that plant community and shouldnot be pulled. The native is in the same plant family (Zygophyllaceae) as puncturevine and the same growth form, the only really obvious difference is the seeds.

The native is Kallstroemia californica. I'd link to the Wikipedia pages for Tribulus terrestris (puncturevine) and Kallstroemia californica but don't know how to link on MP. Maybe someone could do that? You'll how alike they look.

Thanks for that. Yes, we’re looking for the yellow flowers and goat head seeds. I believe the native has five pedals on smaller flowers right?

Both the nasty weed and the native have flowers with five petals and both have yellow flowers. The native can have a bit more orange in flower color. The flowers are the same size ( goathead flower 3-5 mm petals, native 4-6 mm) but really the two are very very difficult to distinguish from one another. The native can grow more upright (ascending stems) while the weed is a flat mat, but the native can be flat too. Once they have flowered and the fruits are maturing, then the distinctive goathead of the weed makes it easy.

If you see the nasty goathead fruits, it's the weed. Put them in a (black) plastic bag, close, and let bake in full sun to kill the seeds. Days of baking required, not just an afternoon.

If you have a friend who is botanist, seeing the two growing will help with distinguishing them. It is the fine details, unless you have the fruits.

Just showed up in my mailbox today 

Hey Jay, any idea how common Kallstroemia californica is in SE Utah? The Intermountain Region Herbarium Network has one voucher from Grand County that was found in the Maze and one voucher from Kane County. Those are the only two county records on IRHN. 

Hi Nic! I do not, but seeing that it occurs in adjacent counties makes it reasonable to think it is there. Not reported could mean not there or just not observed and reported. 

Because the OP location is in Canyonlands, it would be a bad deal for climbers if the native were being pulled. Imagine if climbers were helping us here by pulling puncturevine and it turned out it was the native. We discovered an infestation of puncturevine mixed with the native last summer on GeoTour. We learned how hard it is to distinguish one from the other.

Hope you are climbing really well!

i bought a new mountain bike recently. i haven't done any mountain biking in probably 25 years, and somehow i assumed that it being the year 2023 and all of the great tech advances since the late 90's, the threat of a flat tire due to goatheads had ceased to exist.

well, i stood corrected. about 7 miles from the car...

fuck goatheads!!!

Check your tires and shoes! I remember how many goat heads I pulled out of my car tires and soles of my shoes when I lived in Moab. I think that's the most likely way for us to transport the seeds. 

slim wrote:

i bought a new mountain bike recently. i haven't done any mountain biking in probably 25 years, and somehow i assumed that it being the year 2023 and all of the great tech advances since the late 90's, the threat of a flat tire due to goatheads had ceased to exist.

well, i stood corrected. about 7 miles from the car...

fuck goatheads!!!

Slim, the modern tubeless tires with sealant are pretty amazing. I pulled out three of the biggest goat heads I’ve ever seen after a ride in St George and my tire sealed right up. Still, fuck goat heads!