California Invasive Plant Council

Aegilops cylindrica

Common names: jointed goatgrass

Aegilops cylindrica (jointed goatgrass) is an annual grass (family Poaceae) with joints similar to wheat that can grow up to 4 feet tall and is found in the Cascade ranges, Modoc Plateau, Sacramento Valley and San Bernardino and peninsular ranges of southern California. It is native to Mediterranean Europe and western Asia. It favors grasslands. It spreads via agricultural and human activities, wind and water. Joints and seeds will attach to clothing, fur and feathers.

Cal-IPC Rating: Watch

CDFA Rating: -*?

Explanation of CDFA ratings

• A – A pest of known economic or environmental detriment and is either not known to be established in California or it is present in a limited distribution that allows for the possibility of eradication or successful containment.
• B – A pest of known economic or environmental detriment and, if present in California, it is of limited distribution.
• C – A pest of known economic or environmental detriment and, if present in California, it is usually widespread.
• D – An organism known to be of little or no economic or environmental detriment, to have an extremely low likelihood of weediness, or is known to be a parasite or predator.
• Q – An organism or disorder suspected to be of economic or environmental detriment, but whose status is uncertain because of incomplete identification or inadequate information.
• * – An asterisk next to the rating indicates that a plant is included in the CCR Section 4500 list of California State Noxious Weeds.
• -* – This plant is included in the CCR Section 4500 list of California State Noxious Weeds, but is otherwise not rated.

More details

Assessment(s)

Plant Risk Assessment - An evaluation of the potential for a plant to be invasive in California.

Species ID Card

Invasive Species ID Card - To support field identification of early detection species, Cal-IPC has designed a set of Species ID cards that can be downloaded, printed double-sided, and trimmed to size.

Weed Management Notes

• Management Notes - Information on management techniques and effectiveness from the University of California Cooperative Extension’s Weed Research & Information Center.

Cal-IPC Newsletter Articles

• Native soil bacteria as biocontrol. Bean, Travis; Gornish, Elise. Vol 24, Issue 2
• Feed the birds, but don’t spread weeds. America, Weed Science Society of. Vol 17, Issue 2

Cal-IPC Symposium Presentations

Presentations are linked where available. Where a presentation is not available, find more information by reading the abstract in the Cal-IPC Symposia Archive.

• Regional EDRR with Bay Area WMAs. Johnson, Doug; Valentine, Nicole (2022)
• Evaluating control of late-season noxious grassland invasives with multiple approaches: wildfire, prescribed fire, native grass restoration, and organic herbicides. Eviner, Valerie (2020)

Other Aegilops cylindrica Information

• CalPhotos - Images of plants taken mostly in California.
• Calflora - Distribution map and records of this species in California.
• CalWeedMapper - Distribution map of this species in California with ability to determine regional priorities.
• EDDMapS - Distribution of this species in North America.
• Jepson Interchange - Information on this plant's taxonomy, biology, and distribution from UC Berkeley's Jepson Herbarium.
• USDA PLANTS Database - Information on identification and distribution, with links to websites in individual states.

Additional photos