Field Guide   pic  Weed Management   pic  Velvetleaf

Velvetleaf (Abutilon Theophrasti)

Crop Impacts: Soybeans, corn, row crops and other annually tilled crops

velvetleaf-1

About Velvetleaf:

Velvetleaf is an annual weed that reproduces via seed. This weed tends to grow between 3 to 7 feet fall. Velvetleaf weeds have 2 different kinds of weeds. One is a heart shaped leave, the other has teeth, but has a similar shape. The flowers that Velvetleaf weeds produce grow in small clusters, or on their own. They produce peddles that have a yellow/orange colouring to them. For the most part Velvetleaf occurs mostly in Southern Ontario.

Family: Mallow Family (Malvaceae)

velvetleaf-2 velvetleaf-3

Velvetleaf Scouting and Prevention:

Crop counts can be an effective way to keep track of weeds that are appearing in you fields. Make sure to do checks of random areas to ensure that weeds are not surfacing in various parts of fields. It is also important to check the outskirts of crop fields to ensure that weeds are not growing around the fields.

Velvetleaf Control:

Early hand pulling is a viable option, because it allows you to no pull up a lot of soil. It is important to remove the terminated plants from the fields so that the seeds to not have a chance to germinate. Tilling is ineffective with this weed, because it turns up the soil, thus bringing the Velvetleaf seeds to the surface causing them to germinate at a more rapid pace. Pre and post season herbicides have been known to be effective in eliminating or controlling Velvetleaf weeds.

Latin / Alternative Velvetleaf Names:

  • - Abutilon Theophrasti Medic
  • - Abuliton
  • - Butter-print
  • - Elephant Ear
  • - Indian Mallow
  • - Pir-marker
  • - Abutilon fuille de velours

Additional Velvetleaf Resources:


 

http://www.omafra.gov.on.ca/english/crops/facts/ontweeds/velvetleaf.htm Ontario Government Ag

http://www.weedwreckingcrew.com/ Dupont Weed Wrecking Crew

http://www.precisionpac.com/ Dupont Precision Pac

http://www.gov.ns.ca/agri/rir/weeds/velvet.shtml Nova Scotia Government Ag