Native or invasive?

Land managers warn that people should be careful when pulling out weedy-looking plants from their yards and along roadsides. Some straggly plants are native species. Below are two locally found native plants that might keep invasive stinkwort (Dittrichia graveolens) at bay. Stinkwort is included in these profiles for comparison.

Botanical name: Dittrichia graveolens Common name: Stinkwort Characteristics: Annual, narrow gray-green leaves, 1-4 inches long with serrated edges, sticky, camphor smell. When it blooms: September-November Status: Invasive weed Height: 2.5-3 feet Flower color: Outer yellow with reddish interior Where to find them: Disturbed areas, grasslands, road edges Benefits: None known Botanical name: Hemizonia congesta ssp. luzulifolia Common name: Hayfield tarweed Characteristics: Annual, small, narrow leaves, spindly, thin-stemmed annual growing erect, sticky with a tar-like scent. When it blooms: August-November Status: Native Height: 2.6 feet Flower color: White with purplish undersides Where to find them: Grasslands, oak woodland, slopes Benefits: Native bees Botanical name: Heterotheca grandiflora Common name: Golden aster; telegraph weed Characteristics: Erect, bristly, hairy, lobed leaves, herbal scent When it blooms: Year-round Status: Native Height: 2.5-3.5 feet Flower color: Small yellow daisy-like flowers in a cluster Where to find them: Open areas, disturbed ground Benefits: Native bees

Sources: Calflora, California Invasive Plant Council, California Native Plant Society — Information gathered by Sue Dremann, Palo Alto Weekly