ODA rating: B
USDA Symbol: KOSC
Oregon kochia distribution
Other common names
Fire weed, Mexican fire weed
Click on image to view larger photo | | Images courtesy of Mark Hanson, CPS
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Description
Annual; blooms July to October. Grows one to six feet tall. Stems many branched, round, slender and often red-tinged. Leaves one half to two inches long, alternate, lance-shaped with margins fringed with hairs. Leaf blades have three or five prominent veins. Flowers inconspicuous in spikes in the axils of upper leaves.
Impacts
Kochia is a highly adaptable plant that invades a wide variety of habitats in the dryer portions of Oregon. It provides a significant challenge to right-of-way maintenance professionals because of its ability to develop resistance to many herbicides. This plant has been reported to reduce crop yields in cereal grain by 100% in severe infestations. It is also an alternate host for beet yellows and tobacco mosaic virus.
Distribution in Oregon
The first report of this plant in Oregon was 1964 in Baker County.
 
Biological controls
No approved biological control agent is available.
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