It is a perennial with many branched, wiry stems that range from 1 to 4 feet tall. It thrives in well-drained sandy or gravelly soils and has invaded extensive areas of shallow silt loam soils in other areas as well.
Plants also grow from buds on root fragments cut by cultivation or other equipment.
Competing for water and nitrogen, rush skeletonweed can severely reduce crop yield and forage for livestock and wildlife, and its wiry branches interfere with harvest. For questions about the Water and Land Resources Web Site, please contact Fred Bentler , webmaster. Bottom inset photo courtesy of the Washington State Noxious Weed Control Board. By visiting this and other King County web pages, you expressly agree to be bound by terms and conditions of the site.