Salvia aethiopis
Encyclopedia
Salvia aethiopis is a species of perennial plant known by the common name Mediterranean sage. It is best known as a noxious weed, particularly in the western United States. It is native to Eurasia and was probably introduced
to North America as a contaminant of alfalfa
seed. It is a weed of rangelands and pastures. It is unpalatable to livestock, it disrupts native floral communities, and it becomes a physical nuisance due to its habit of becoming an abundant tumbleweed
. The weevil
Phrydiuchus tau
is used as an agent of biological pest control
on this plant.
Introduced species
An introduced species — or neozoon, alien, exotic, non-indigenous, or non-native species, or simply an introduction, is a species living outside its indigenous or native distributional range, and has arrived in an ecosystem or plant community by human activity, either deliberate or accidental...
to North America as a contaminant of alfalfa
Alfalfa
Alfalfa is a flowering plant in the pea family Fabaceae cultivated as an important forage crop in the US, Canada, Argentina, France, Australia, the Middle East, South Africa, and many other countries. It is known as lucerne in the UK, France, Australia, South Africa and New Zealand, and known as...
seed. It is a weed of rangelands and pastures. It is unpalatable to livestock, it disrupts native floral communities, and it becomes a physical nuisance due to its habit of becoming an abundant tumbleweed
Salsola
Salsola is a genus of the subfamily Salsoloideae in the family Amaranthaceae. A common name of various members of this genus is saltwort, for its salt tolerance.-Description:...
. The weevil
Curculionidae
Curculionidae is the family of the "true" weevils . It was formerly recognized in 1998 as the largest of any animal family, with over 40,000 species described worldwide at that time...
Phrydiuchus tau
Phrydiuchus tau
Phrydiuchus tau is a species of true weevil known as the Mediterranean sage root weevil. It is used as an agent of biological pest control against noxious weed Mediterranean sage ....
is used as an agent of biological pest control
Biological pest control
Biological control of pests in agriculture is a method of controlling pests that relies on predation, parasitism, herbivory, or other natural mechanisms...
on this plant.