Yellow Starthistle Management Guide

By Joseph M. DiTomaso, Guy B. Kyser, and Michael J. Pitcairn

Yellow Starthistle Management Guide cover

Yellow starthistle (Centaurea solstitialis) is one of the most serious rangeland, grassland, and wildland weeds in the northwestern United States, impacting native plant diversity, altering water cycles, and poisoning livestock. Yellow starthistle invades 12 million acres in California alone. This guide begins with a description of the biology and ecology of yellow starthistle and its history in California. It then provides a comprehensive overview of treatment methods for yellow starthistle, including each method's advantages and disadvantages, timing, and best fit in a strategic management plan.

View a pdf of the full YST Guide (Warning: 8 MB file). Individual chapters available below.

To order a copy

All books, brochures, and the CD-ROM may be ordered online through the Cal-IPC shop, by printing the order form or by calling us at 510-843-3902. Please make checks payable to Cal-IPC and mail to: Cal-IPC, 1442-A Walnut St. #462, Berkeley, CA 94709.

Joseph M. DiTomaso is an Extension Non-Crop Weed Ecologist with the University of California-Davis.

Guy B. Kyser is a Staff Research Associate at the University of California-Davis.

Michael J. Pitcairn is a Senior Environmental Scientist (Entomology) with the Biocontrol Program of the California Department of Food and Agriculture.