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| ## Ventenata {#ventenata .Title-Header}                               |
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| *Ventenata dubia* (Leers) Coss*.*                                     |
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| Plant Symbol = VEDU                                                   |
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Contributed by: USDA NRCS Pullman Plant Materials Center

![](media/image2.jpeg){width="3.0in"
height="3.7916666666666665in"}Pamela Scheinost, USDA NRCS Pullman Plant
Materials Center

# [Caution: This plant is weedy and can be invasive]{.underline}.

# 

# Alternate Names

Wiregrass, North Africa grass, *Avena dubia* Leers, *Ventenata avenacea*
Koel.

# Uses

Ventenata may be grazed in the early spring, however its forage value is
minimal. Once the panicles begin to emerge, the stems harden and become
unpalatable. There are no other known uses of this plant.

# Status

Consult the PLANTS Web site and your State Department of Natural
Resources for this plant's current status (e.g. state noxious status).

# Description

*General*: Grass Family (Poaceae). Ventenata is a winter annual that
germinates in the fall when temperatures are moderate to high (18º - 28º
C, or 64° - 82° F) (Northam & Callihan, 1986). Seed heads are produced
May through June, about one month following annual *Bromus* species. The
plant has slim, erect culms from 10 to 46 cm (4 to 18 in) tall with
microscopic hairs that give the appearance of being smooth. Seedling
leaves are in-rolled or lengthwise folded and appear very narrow. The
inflorescence is an open panicle, appearing silvery green but rapidly
maturing to a yellowish-tan color. At the end of each spreading to
drooping rachilla are 1-5 spikelets. About 15 -- 35 seeds are produced
per plant (Lass & Prather, 2007). Ventenata was named after a professor
of botany at Paris, Pierre Etienne Ventenat, 1757-1805 (Hitchcock &
Cronquist, 1973).

Ventenata is beginning to replace perennial grasses and forbs along
roadsides and in hay, pasture, range and CRP fields in the western U.S.
In addition to having minimal forage value for livestock or wildlife,
ventenata is also undesirable because its shallow root system may cause
the soil to be more prone to erosion. Over time, decline of productivity
and land value occurs.

*Key characteristics:* Ventenata can be easily identified in May -- June
based on its reddish-black nodes. Its unusually long ligule (1-8 mm) is
another distinguishing characteristic. By late June - July the plant
adopts a shiny appearance and an open panicle emerges. Once the plant
senesces in July - August, the awns (1 -- 2.5 mm in length) become
twisted and bent, which is typical of members of the Aveneae tribe.

![](media/image3.jpeg){width="2.997916666666667in"
height="2.1840277777777777in"}

Pamela Scheinost, USDA NRCS Pullman Plant Materials Center

**Distribution**

Ventenata is native to southern Europe, western Asia and northern
Africa. There are 5 known species of Ventenata, however only *V. dubia*
has been documented on the North American continent.

Ventenata was first reported in the U.S. in Washington state in 1952
(Flora of North America Editorial Committee, 1993). Currently it is
found throughout the northwestern and northeastern states of the U.S.
(WA, OR, CA, ID, UT, MT, WY, WI, NY, ME) and the western and eastern
provinces of Canada (BC, AB, ON, QC, NB). In the western U.S., ventenata
is beginning to receive a great deal of attention due to its rate of
spread and difficulty in control.

**Adaptation**

Ventenata is typically found from near-sea level to mid-range elevations
(10 -- 1800 m, or 35 -- 6000 ft) and within moderate precipitation zones
(35 -- 112 cm/yr, or 14 -- 44 in/yr). It is most commonly found on
south-facing hillsides with shallow, rocky, clay or clay-loam soils. In
addition, sites that are inundated in early spring but dry out by late
spring tend to be preferred (Old, 2008).

## Vectors

## Ventenata is spread primarily as a contaminant of Kentucky bluegrass, hay and annual crops. In addition, ventenata is found along roadsides and likely is moved along the transportation corridors where it has opportunities to move into surrounding areas. It can also be spread by humans and animals due to having long awns.

# Control

Few control methods are known for ventenata, particularly in range and
pasture settings. However, because the seed is thought to be viable for
only two or three years, three to four years of aggressive management
followed by vigilant monitoring may eliminate or severely reduce an
infestation.

## Manual and Mechanical Control

Ventenata cannot be mowed during heading; plants will only bend over or
become tangled in the swather (hence the name wiregrass). If ventenata
is mowed once prior to heading, plants may produce another flush of
heads (Lass & Prather, 2007). Mowing ventenata multiple times throughout
the growing season, however, has proven to be a successful method of
control (Gribble, 2008). Plants kept at minimal height until soil
moisture is unavailable may be prevented from producing seed.

Fire shows no promise as a control method. Where wildfires or prescribed
fires burned in Oregon, ventenata populations have flourished (Brummer,
2008; Mafera, 2008). In Idaho, fire suppressed ventenata but tended to
stimulate annual weedy bromes and left an opening for more ventenata the
following year (Lass & Prather, 2007).

## Environmental/Cultural Control

Maintaining a healthy stand of perennial vegetation may help to prevent
ventenata invasion. A healthy stand can be created and maintained with
appropriate selection of plant species, application of proper amount of
nutrients, use of Integrated Pest Management (IPM) strategies such as
spot spraying, following a suitable grazing plan, and good forage
management.

# Chemical Control

In cropland, several herbicides are available and known to be effective.
In hay, pasture, range and CRP fields, selection of registered
herbicides is limited. Ventenata has shown to be tolerant to glyphosate
and sethoxydim when applied in the spring. Imazapic applied in the fall
to semi-dormant perennial grass stands has been effective, particularly
when ventenata comprises more than 25% of the vegetative ground cover.
One technique that has shown promise is application of imazapic in the
fall followed by applications of nitrogen fertilizer in the spring and
fall of the next year. Fertilizer can help perennial grasses recover
from herbicide damage and be more competitive.

Contact your local agricultural extension specialist or county weed
specialist to learn what herbicides work best in your area and how to
use them properly. Always read label and safety instructions for each
control method. Trade names and control measures appear in this document
only to provide specific information. USDA, NRCS does not guarantee or
warranty the products and control methods named, and other products may
be equally effective.

## Biological Control

Biological control methods have not been considered.

# References

Brummer, F., Oregon State University Extension. 2008. Personal
communication.

Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture. University of Washington.
<http://biology.burke.washington.edu/herbarium/imagecollection.php?Genus=Ventenata&Species=dubia>

(Accessed 5/27/2008).

Flora of North America Editorial Committee. 1993. Flora of North
America: North of Mexico. Vol. 24. Magnoliophyta. Oxford University
Press, New York. pp. 683-684.

Gribble, R., NRCS, Grangeville, ID. 2008. Personal communication.

Hitchcock, C.L. and A. Cronquist. 1973. Flora of the Pacific Northwest.
University of Washington Press, Seattle and London. p. 674.

Jaberg, J., Ochoco National Forest, Paulina Ranger District. 2008.
Personal communication.

Johnson, C.G. and D.K. Swanson. 2005. Bluebunch Plant Communities of the
Blue and Ochoco Mountains: A Guide for Managers. Gen. Tech. Rep.
PNW-GTR-641. Porland, OR: USDA Forest Service, Pacific Northwest
Research Station. 119 p.

Lass, L. and T. Prather. 2007. A scientific evaluation for noxious and
invasive weeds of the highway 95 construction project between the
Uniontown cutoff and Moscow. QuilaVision Inc., Missoula, MT. Online.
Availble:
<http://northwestmedia.net/us95/pdf-final/Final-Weed-Report.pdf>.
(Accessed 5/27/2008).

Mafera D., Ochoco National Forest, Paulina Ranger District. 2008.
Personal communication.

NatureServe. 2008. NatureServe Explorer: An online encyclopedia of life
\[web application\]. Version 7.0. NatureServe, Arlington, Virginia.
Available http://www.natureserve.org/explorer. (Accessed 6/25/2008).

Northam, F.E. and R.H. Callihan. 1986. Germination of four annual grass
weeds at three temperatures. Proceedings of the Western Society of Weed
Science. 39:173.

Old, R.R. and R.H. Callihan. 1987. *Ventenata dubia* in the Pacific
Northwest. Proceedings of the Western Society of Weed Science. 40:130

Old, R.R. 2008. Personal communication.

Whitson, T.D. 1996. Weeds of the West. 5^th^ Edition. Western Weed
Science Society. Pioneer of Jackson Hole, Jackson Hole, Wyoming. pp.
498-499.

# Prepared By

## *Pamela Scheinost,* USDA NRCS Pullman Plant Materials Center, Pullman, WA

*Mark Stannard,* USDA NRCS Pullman Plant Materials Center, Pullman, WA

*Tim Prather,* University of Idaho, Moscow, ID

# Species Coordinator

## *Pamela Scheinost,* USDA NRCS Pullman Plant Materials Center, Pullman, WA

Edited: sept1008tp; sept1508ms; oct0708jsp; oct1508ps

For more information about this and other plants, please contact your
local NRCS field office or Conservation District, and visit the PLANTS
Web site\<[http://plants.usda.gov](http://plants.usda.gov/)\> or the
Plant Materials Program Web site
\<[http://Plant-Materials.nrcs.usda.gov](http://Plant-Materials.nrcs.usda.gov/)\>

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