Last Updated on September 23, 2020 by Caroline Warwick

Welcome to Weed Science Wednesday, a weekly series aimed at helping homeowners and horticulture professionals better identify and manage common landscape weeds in Florida.

The weed of the week is thickhead (Crassocephalum crepidioides). Thickhead is native to Africa, and is cultivated in Asia as a medicinal and nutritional herb. In Florida, it has been located sporadically throughout the state, including in Orange and Brevard counties.

Thickhead is a summer annual, flowering and fruiting from August through December. Thickhead germination is higher in warm, saturated, or flooded conditions. When plants are small, hand weeding is the best physical preventative measure.

For more information on Hairy bittercress, including specific recommendations for chemical, physical and cultural weed controls, please consult Biology and Management of Thickhead (Crassocephalum crepidioides) in Ornamental Crop Production

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