Medusahead Management in Sagebrush–Steppe Rangelands: Prevention, Control, and Revegetation

Abstract

Medusahead (Taeniatherum caput-medusae [L.] Nevski) (Fig. 1) is an aggressive exotic annual grass native to the Mediterranean region of Eurasia that is changing the ecology and productivity of western rangelands. Since the collection of the first known North American herbarium specimen of medusahead in 1887 near Roseburg, Oregon, the exotic annual grass has invaded millions of acres in the Pacific Northwest, California, Utah, Nevada, and Colorado. On public lands administered by the Bureau of Land Management, 3.3 million acres of rangeland are classified as monotypic stands of cheatgrass (Bromus tectorum L.) and/or medusahead, nearly 14 million acres are infested with one or both grasses, and over 62 million acres are at risk of invasion by the exotic annual grasses.