TANSY RAGWORT
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Ragwort - Jacobaea vulgaris, J Brew, Flickr, (CC BY-SA 2.0)
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Tansy ragwort, a biennial weed in the sunflower family, has made a big comeback in parts of western Oregon, especially in the foothills where livestock grazing is prevalent.
Tansy ragwort was unintentionally introduced into Oregon in the early 1920s, and within 30 years, became a regional problem, killing thousands of livestock animals — mostly cattle and horses, and contaminating pastures and hay. By the 1970s, many pastures, hillsides, and log clearings were invaded and heavily infested by tansy ragwort. Tansy is mostly a weed that gets a foothold in plant communities that have been disturbed, either by grazing, logging, construction or fire. |
