Awash in a field bursting with yellow flowers bordering the access road of Interstate 35 in Kyle, this red winged black bird perches above a plant species, annual bastard-cabbage, which is actually choking the very life out of our native wildflowers and grasses. Sometimes referred to as turnip-weed, giant mustard, wild turnip, wild rape and tall mustard-weed, its beauty belies its destruction. (Photo by Brenda Stewart)
STAFF REPORT
Recently, fields and ravines seem to be blanketed with little yellow flowers as far as the eye can see. Thick and lush, they seemed like a good sign that spring was on the horizon. Unfortunately, these critters aren’t Texas wildflowers swaying in the breeze. They are an invasive species known as annual bastard-cabbage and they are hell-bent on wreaking havoc on our ecological balance.
According to Hays County Extension Agent Richard Parrish, bastard-cabbage is native to central Europe, the Mediterranean, northern Africa and western Asia. This plant is an annual that grows from 1 to 5 feet or more in height and has a taproot that can become quite large.
In many cases, it will successfully out-compete native plant species by forming leafy rosettes at ground level, blocking sunlight from reaching seedlings of native plants.
At this time, there is no chemical control for annual bastard-cabbage and it promptly rebounds even when mowed to the ground The most effective method of control is by hand. Though labor-intensive, manual removal of the plant and its taproot, and disposal of seeds has shown the best results in controlling this invasive species.
KXAN also has a story about bastard cabbage:
