Kochia scoparia (L.)Schrad

by George Herlihy, Native Plants Class

Common names: Summer cypress, Mexican-fireweed, Belvedere, tumbleweed (3).

Family: Chenopodiaceae

Synonymy: Kochia trichophila (Staph.), Chenopodium scoparia (L.)

Etymology: The epithet scoparia means broom like (3).

Identification

Growth form: Summer cypress is a single stemmed forb/shrub.

Root: This plant has a deep taproot (up to 16 ft.)

Stem: Summer cypress is an erect annual, growing 20-150 cm tall. It has a main stem that gives rise too many branched, upwardly curving side stems. Young shoots are often hairy (4).

Leaves: The leaves are lanceolate to linear, alternate, simple, toothed or lobed, with 3 veins on the underside. Leaves are up to 50 mm long and 8 mm wide (4).

Flowers: Inconspicuous, greenish, radially symmetrical, bisexual or unisexual. 2-5 sepals with no petals. 1-5 stamens. All parts are attached to the base of the ovary. Flowers are found in the axils of the upper leaves and in terminal spikes (4).

Fruit: Tiny, single seeded (2 mm), star shaped and grooved on each side (4).

Similar species:Kochia americana is similar to summer cypress. The distinguishing characteristic is that americana has sessile leaves while scoparia has flat, petiolate leaves (2).

Ecology

Life history: Summer cypress is an annual (6).

Native/introduced: Introduced. Summer Cypress is native to E. Europe and W. Asia.

Photosynthetic pathway:

Phenology: In northern Arizona, summer cypress flowers in August and September. The fruiting period begins in October.

Distribution: Summer cypress is native to Eastern Europe and western Asia. It has spread through out Europe and parts of temperate Asia. The plant is also found in Argentina, Canada and through out the USA (4).

Uses

Human: The green form of the plant is used as a broom. Historically, summer cypress was used by the Navajos as a treatment for venereal disease and used as a body paint to heal sores (3).

Wildlife: This plant is used as sheep forage in the winter (3).

References

  1. Great Plains Flora Association. 1986. Flora of the Great Plains. Lawrence, KS: University Press of Kansas. 1392 p. [1603]
  2. Hansen, Paul L.; Chadde, Steve W.; Pfister, Robert D. 1988. Riparian dominance types of Montana. Misc. Publ. No. 49. Missoula, MT: University of Montana, School of Forestry, MontanaForest and Conservation Experiment Station. 411 p. [5660]
  3. Plants for a future. 2000. Plants for a future home page. ( Accessed 12/02/02.
  4. Dept. of Agriculture-WesternAustralia. Kochia scoparia. (
  5. Reed 1970. Selected Weeds of the US. Mitch L.W. 1981. The intriguing World of Weeds, Part IX Weeds Today 12(2):26
  6. USDA, NRCS. 2002 The PLANTS Database version 3.5( National Plant Data Center. Baton Rouge, LA70874-4490USA