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Annual bugloss (Anchusa arvensis
(L) Bieb) Family: Boraginaceae Description and Variation: Annual bugloss is a diminutive weedy annual. It is a leafy herb with erect stems and alternate leaves. The petiolate lance-shaped leaves are bristly hairy and crinkled on the margins. Blue funnel-formed flowers are borne in helicoid clusters at the tip of the plant. Annual bugloss is similar in many respects to common bugloss and resembles a blue-flowered tarweed. The fruit is a nutlet with four nutlets per flower. The table below compares the two bugloss species in Washington:
Economic Importance: The scientific name means weedy in the field and annual bugloss is currently exhibiting its weediness in Spokane County, where it has invaded a cultivated field. It can be a serious pest in cropland, particularly in small grain crops. High weed densities can reduce yields in lentils and peas. Habitat: Annual bugloss grows along roadsides, in disturbed habitats, pastures, and cultivated fields. Geographic Distribution: Anchusa arvensis is a native European species. In its native range it also exhibits weedy attributes in cultivated fields, pastures, waste areas, and roadsides. History: In Washington, it has Growth and Development: Anchusa arvensis is a winter annual in its native range. In our region most seed germination occurs in March and April, although annual bugloss may germinate in spring or fall. Annual bugloss flowers from June until a hard frost. Seed production begins in August. Reproduction: An annual species, A. arvensis reproduces strictly by seed. Each flower produces four nutlets and each nutlet produces a seed with about 250 seeds per plant. The seeds fall near the parent plant. Ninety percent of the seeds buried six inches deep are viable after three years; two percent remain viable after five years. Response to Herbicides: Not Known. Response to Cultural Methods: Annual bugloss should be prevented from producing seed. Small populations are easily pulled or dug. The seed bank is persistent. Biocontrol PotentialsBiocontrol Potentials: None known. References: Hitchcock, C. L., A. Cronquist, M. Ownbey and J. W. Thompson. 1969. Vascular Plants of the Pacific Northwest. University of Washington Press. Seattle. pp. 183-184. Huxley, W and W. Taylor. 1989. Flowers of Greece and the Aegean. Hogarth Press, London. Polunin, O. 1987. Flowers of Greece and the Balkans. Oxford Univ. Press. Oxford and NY. Roberts, H.A. and J.E. Boddrell. 1983. Seed survival and periodicity of seedling emergence in ten species of annual weeds. Ann. Appl. Biol. (1983), 102: p. 523-532. Printed in Great Britain. Roche’, C. and C. Boerboom. 1992. Small bugloss (Anchusa arvensis). Pacific Northwest Extension Bulletin PNW415. WA, ID and OR. Van Breemen, A.M. 1984. Comparative Germination Ecology of three short-lived monocarpic boraginaceae. Acta Bot. Neerl. 33(3), August 1984, P. 283-305. Whitman County Noxious Weed Control Board Newsletter. Summer 1991. This page last updated 03/31/07
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been collected from Pend Oreille, Spokane, and
Whitman counties. The first record of collection in Spokane County was made in 1988 from
the northeast quarter of section 4, T24N, R44E in Spokane County near Chester, Washington.
Since then, collections have been made from Pend Oreille and Whitman counties. In Whitman
County, it has been found outside of Colfax on Airport Road and Hamilton Road. It was
previously known to infest areas near Oakesdale and Garfield in Whitman County. It occurs
in a band-shaped area from Spokane to Pendleton. First collected in Spokane County in 1988
by the Spokane County Noxious Weed Board. Herbarium collections first record it near
McMinnville, Oregon in 1937.