Yellow Mignonette (Reseda lutea) in the United States

Abstract

Yellow mignonette (Reseda lutea (L.) # RESLU) is a broadleaf perennial weed that is native to the Mediterranean Basin and Asia Minor. It has been spread around the world and is widely recognized in Australia as a troublesome noxious weed in croplands. It is a problem in cropland and pastures because of its high seed output, extensive reproductive root system, ability to thrive under disturbed conditions, and high nitrate levels. While nitrate levels of 2.5 to 3.1% have been detected in plants during the rosette to early flower growth stages, when yellow mignonette is most palatable, no livestock injury or deaths have been reported. Yellow mignonette was first reported in Montana in 1958 but was not recognized as a weed problem until 1990. Since 1988 it has invaded several hundred hectares of small grains and alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.)-grass pastures in Central Montana and is spreading rapidly along gravel road shoulders.