The devil is in the petals.

Orange hawkweed, also known as devil’s paintbrush, has been spotted along Lolo Pass Road, in a meadow on Burnt Lake trail, and most recently in the Wildcat Mountain and Welches areas.

This devilishly showy alpine flower from Europe is capable of growing at
higher elevations which means that the wilderness area around Mount Hood
are at risk if this invasive plant takes hold.

“Orange hawkweed is a highly invasive, non-native plant that invades forest
and alpine meadows where it displaces and can exclude native plants from an
area,” said David Lebo, botanist with the U.S. Forest Service. “This could
adversely impact our meadow ecosystems.”

The vibrant orange-red flowers are easy to spot now while they’re in bloom.
The flowers are clustered at the top of a leafless stem up to 12 inches tall.
Stiff, black hairs cover the flower stems and the entire plant contains a milky
juice. The multiple flowers per stem can be used to distinguish hawkweeds
from many look-alike plants.

“Talk about being designed for invasion,” said Russ Plaeger, watershed
coordinator for the Sandy River Basin Watershed Council. “This mean orange
seed machine can produce thousands of seeds, release chemicals that inhibit
the growth of other plants, and spread by runners too. While you might be
happy if your strawberries were that successful, you don’t want hawkweed to
take over your yard, pasture, or openings in the forest.”

A solitary, devilish flower can paint an entire area, producing 600 to 45,000
seeds. Hawkweed also releases allelopathic biochemicals into the soil. These
compounds inhibit the growth and survival of native plants.

Once established, hawkweed quickly develops into a patch that continues to
expand until it covers a site with a solid mat of leaf rosettes. This invader can
dominate pastures, lawns and roadsides. It is unpalatable to livestock and
crowds out more desirable species.

Orange hawkweed was one of the plants featured at the watershed council’s
Welches workshop in June. One participant called in the following day to alert
the council to what she saw that looked like hawkweed.

“It’s really great that people are on the lookout and call in when they see one
of the new invasive plants,” Plaeger said. “Because this is a high priority
species we can provide spraying at no cost to the landowner. That will prevent
lots of problems and avoid more costly efforts in the future.”

To utilize the free herbicide program contact Plaeger at 503-668-1646, or by
mail to the SRBWC, PO Box 868, Sandy 97055.

“We encourage people to take advantage of the free program that is being
offered by the Clackamas Soil and Water Conservation District and Oregon
Department of Agriculture,” Plaeger said.

CONTROL
Mowing is not recommended because the plants quickly flower again. If plants
have flowered, remove the flower heads, bag them, and put them in the trash
because they can still produce seeds after they’ve been cut. The fibrous roots
and runners can resprout if left in the ground or in a compost pile.