Broom snakeweed (Gutierrezia sarothrae) is a widespread suffrutescent shrub in large areas of the semiarid rangeland of the western U. S., southern Canada, and northern Mexico. It is considered a major weed problem in the southwestern U.S. It causes poisoning to grazing and browsing animals and competes with desirable species, especially warm season grasses, essentially eliminating them from the plant community. Its population fluctuates according to localized or regional weather patterns. If soil water is adequate in the fall and winter, snakeweed will remain evergreen and use much of the available soil water during the period when warm season grasses are dormant. In the early spring when grasses start growing, snakeweed has a distinct [...]
