"THE TERRIBLE TEN"

• Licorice scented perennial 4-10 ft. tall
• Leaves are dark green and feathery
• Umbrella shaped clusters of small yellow flowers
• Tap roots can reach depths of 10 feet
• Outcompetes native plants and reduces native wildlife habitat
• Once established it is difficult to control, due to strong competitive abilities and persistent seed bank

• Perennial herb 2.5 to 5 feet tall
• Waxy, heart shaped, light green leaves
• Bright yellow flowers tinged with orange center, looks like a snapdragon
• Persistent, aggressive invader, pushes out native grasses and other perennials
• Rapidly colonizes open sites
• Contains poisonous alkaloid, toxic to livestock

• Biennial plant grows from 1 to 4 ft. tall
• Hollow ridged stems with fern-like leaves
• Small, white umbrella shaped flower clusters
• Serious threat to native plants and agriculture
• Highly adaptable, will grow in almost any type of soil
• Has an aggressive growth habit, quickly creates a monoculture
• Most of Pierce County is highly susceptible to Wild Chervil infestation

Tansy Ragwort

• Invasive, persistent, toxic biennial
• 1st year: rosette stage; dark green basal leaves, ruffled in appearance
• 2nd year: one or more flowering stalks bolt up to 6 ft. tall
• Numerous yellow, daisy-like, flowers with 13 petals
• Contains toxins that cause chronic irreversible liver damage; a threat to livestock and agriculture.

Poison Hemlock

• Toxic biennial plant up to 10 ft. tall
• 1st year: basal rosette with fern like leaves.
• 2nd year: produces hollow, hairless stems with purplish splotches and dark green, glossy, fern-like leaves
• Umbrella shaped clusters of small, white flowers
• All plant parts are extremely poisonous to humans and livestock
• Wear gloves and protective clothing when handling this plant, can cause contact dermatitis
• Do not burn or compost this plant

Knapweeds

• There are 3 species of knapweed that threaten Pierce County: spotted, diffuse, and meadow knapweed
• 1st year: rosettes form
• 2nd year: flowering stalks elongates
• Spine tipped, or fringed bracts (leaf-like structure at the base of the flower) 
• Flowers are lavender to pink and sometimes white
• Very aggressive species, one of the most dominant weeds of the west, can infest large areas very quickly
• Contains phyto-toxins which inhibit the growth of surrounding native plants, allowing knapweed to form monocultures
• Has very long tap roots

• A dense, spiny, evergreen shrub, 3-10 ft. tall, closely resembles scotch broom
• Aggressive, invasive plant crowds out other vegetation, forms dense thickets
• Has sharp thorn-like leaves up to 3 in. long
• Clusters of bright yellow, pea-like flowers form into pods containing 1 to 4 seeds
• Plants form a center of dry, dead vegetation, that coupled with its high oil content creates a serious fire hazard

• Bushy, perennial plant usually1 to 3 ft. tall, but may reach up to 6 ft.
• Alternate, waxy leaves with white mid-vein
• Rounded clusters of small white flower at branch tips
• Displaces desirable native plants
• Poses serious threat to natural areas, wildlife habitat, pastures, and coastal areas
• Destabilizes river and stream banks, increases soil erosion

• Huge perennial plant from15-20 ft. tall.
• Hairy, hollow stems 2 to 4 in. in diameter, with dark reddish, purple splotches 
• Large compound leaves, up to 5 ft. wide with jagged edges
• White umbrella shaped, flower-heads up to up to 2.5 ft. wide
• Clear watery sap causes ultraviolet skin sensitivity, resulting in severe burns, blisters and scars
• Sap can squirt up to 5 ft. when stem is cut or broken.
• Do not handle without gloves, goggles and protective clothing

• Low growing annual, 10 to 12 inches high
• Stems are tinged bright red
• Leaves are rounded, divided into lobed sections that have 3 lobes at the tip and are shiny and bright green, turning red in late summer and fall 
• Pink flowers grow in pairs and have 5 petals
• Invades woodlands, forest openings, open grasslands and native habitat