''Dittrichia graveolens'', commonly known as stinkwort or stinking fleabane, is a plant species in the sunflower family, native to southern Europe, North Africa, and western Asia as far east as Pakistan. It has become naturalized in California, Asia, Africa,

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

, and other places and is regarded as a

noxious weed A noxious weed, harmful weed or injurious weed is a weed that has been designated by an agricultural or other governing authority as a plant that is injurious to agricultural or horticultural crops, natural habitats or ecosystems, or humans or liv ...

in some regions. It is a classified as an

invasive species An invasive species otherwise known as an alien is an introduced organism that becomes overpopulated and harms its new environment. Although most introduced species are neutral or beneficial with respect to other species, invasive species ad ...

in California, and a potential threat to wine production in the state. The plant is a branching

subshrub A subshrub (Latin ''suffrutex'') or dwarf shrub is a short shrub, and is a woody plant. Prostrate shrub is a related term. "Subshrub" is often used interchangeably with "bush".Jackson, Benjamin, Daydon; A Glossary of Botanic Terms with their Der ...

growing up to tall, with a rank, foul smell. Leaves are long and narrow, pointed at each end, with small teeth along the edges and glandular hairs on the surfaces. One plant can produce numerous yellow

flower heads A pseudanthium (Greek for "false flower"; ) is an inflorescence that resembles a flower. The word is sometimes used for other structures that are neither a true flower nor a true inflorescence. Examples of pseudanthia include flower heads, compos ...

with as many as 16 ray florets and 40 disc florets. Barbs on the fluffy-tipped seeds, which help it spread, can fatally damage the digestive systems of grazing animals. Oils in the plant also taint the flavor of meat and milk of animals that have consumed them. The sticky resin has been known to cause allergic reactions and severe dermatitis in humans. For this reasons, it is advisable to wear protective gloves when handling the plant.

References

External links

* *
''Dittrichia graveolens'', Calflora taxon report, University of California''Dittrichia graveolens'', California Invasive Plant Council
* ttp://plants.usda.gov/core/profile?symbol=DIGR3 ''Dittrichia graveolens'', United States Department of Agriculture plants provilebr>''Dittrichia graveolens'' Calphotos photo gallery, University of California @ Berkeley
{{Taxonbar, from=Q311840 Inuleae Environment of the San Francisco Bay Area Flora of North Africa Flora of Europe Flora of Asia Plants described in 1755