logo Calflora, a 501c3 non-profit
Taxon  Report  
Dittrichia graveolens  (L.) Greuter
Stinkwort
Dittrichia graveolens is an annual herb that is not native to California.
Cal-IPC rating: moderate
Siskiyou Del Norte Modoc Humboldt Shasta Lassen Trinity Plumas Tehama Butte Mendocino Glenn Sierra Yuba Lake Nevada Colusa Placer Sutter El Dorado Yolo Alpine Napa Sonoma Sacramento Mono Amador Solano Calaveras Tuolumne San Joaquin Marin Contra Costa Alameda Santa Cruz Mariposa Madera San Francisco San Mateo Merced Fresno Stanislaus Santa Clara Inyo San Benito Tulare Kings Monterey San Bernardino San Luis Obispo Kern Santa Barbara Ventura Los Angeles Riverside Orange San Diego Imperial
Observation Search
~13981 records in California
redone or more occurrences
within a 7.5-minute quadrangle
DJJJASONAFMM

Bloom Period
Genus: Dittrichia
Family: Asteraceae  
Category: angiosperm  
PLANTS group:Dicot
Jepson eFlora section: eudicot

Toxicity: Allergic contact dermatitis from touching any part of this plant.

Communities: weed, characteristic of disturbed places

Name Status:
Accepted by JEF + PLANTS

Alternate Names:
PLANTSInula graveolens
Information about  Dittrichia graveolens from other sources

[Cal-IPC] Europe, Africa, Asia native, Invasive: Dittrichia graveolens (stinkwort) is a fall-flowering, sticky aromatic annual (family Asteraceae) that is native to southern Europe, northern Africa, and southwestern Asia. It was first recorded in California in 1984 and has rapidly spread across many parts of the state since its introduction. Stinkwort has glandular-haired leaves and stems and grows to a height of up to 0.2 - 1m; its flowers are clustered in small, yellow, flower heads. Its leaves are simple, lanceolate to linear-shaped and have an unpleasant odor. Stinkwort favors disturbed areas and can be easily dispersed easily both because it is a prolific seed producer and because minute barbs on the pappus of its propagules aid in dispersal. It is unpalatable to livestock, severely impacts rangelands, and can outcompete native vegetation. (contributed by Mary Ann Machi)

NIH National Library of Medicine: Dittrichia graveolens is widely used in traditional and modern medicine for its antifungal, antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, insecticide, and sedative properties. It is also known to be poisonous to livestock and causes allergic contact dermatitis in humans.


Suggested Citation
Calflora: Information on California plants for education, research and conservation, with data contributed by public and private institutions and individuals. [web application]. 2024. Berkeley, California: The Calflora Database [a non-profit organization]. Available: https://www.calflora.org/   (Accessed: 03/29/2024).