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Vinegar Weed

Trichostema lanceolatum

Summary 7

The annual herb of the mint family Trichostema lanceolatum is commonly known as vinegar weed because its foliage contains volatile oils that have a strong vinegar odor. Other common names for the plant include terpentine weed and camphor weed. The oils also have phytotoxic properties, which help vinegar weed compete by killing or injuring other plant species.

Description 8

General: Mint family (Lamiaceae). Vinegarweed is an annual forb or herb native to California and Oregon. Vinegarweed is named for its pungent medicinal odor that can be detected over long distances.

The plants range from 1 to 10 dm with branches arising from the base. The thin, lance-shaped leaves are 2 to 7 cm long. The leaves are dotted with glands that produce the strong somewhat sour odor. The pale blue to lavender flowers grow from the leaf axils along one side of the top of the unbranched stems. The flowers are slender tubes, 5 to 10 mm long, with five lobes and long arched stamens (13 to 20 mm) that protrude out of the flower. The seeds are four tiny nutlets that are joined at the base. The seeds germinate with the rains, but begin to grow in earnest only after the rainy season has ended. The plants bloom from late June or July until November.

Distribution: Vinegarweed occurs from northern Oregon to the northern Baja along the Pacific Coast Ranges. It grows in dry, open fields and roadsides below 1000 meters. For current distribution, please consult the Plant Profile page for this species on the PLANTS Web site.

Habitat: Vinegarweed is found in dry, open areas and disturbed habitats. Vinegarweed is an early seral component of coastal sage scrub, chaparral, and oak woodland communities.

Sources and Credits

  1. (c) randomtruth, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), http://www.flickr.com/photos/58096907@N00/2671953579
  2. (c) 2009 Barry Breckling, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), http://calphotos.berkeley.edu/cgi/img_query?seq_num=302734&one=T
  3. (c) 2009 Barry Breckling, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), http://calphotos.berkeley.edu/cgi/img_query?seq_num=302733&one=T
  4. (c) 2006 Steven Thorsted, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), http://calphotos.berkeley.edu/cgi/img_query?seq_num=199951&one=T
  5. (c) 2006 Steven Thorsted, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), http://calphotos.berkeley.edu/cgi/img_query?seq_num=199952&one=T
  6. (c) 2006 Steven Thorsted, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), http://calphotos.berkeley.edu/cgi/img_query?seq_num=199953&one=T
  7. (c) Wikipedia, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trichostema_lanceolatum
  8. Public Domain, http://eol.org/data_objects/1396144

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