Tumbleweed: Difference between revisions

{{Short description|AnatomicalPlant structure of certain plants that, detaches and rolls in the winddrifts}}

[[File:Tumbleweed in motion.webm|thumb|A tumbleweed (''[[Lechenaultia divaricata]] divaricata'')]]

A '''tumbleweed''' is a structural part of the above-ground anatomy of a number of species of [[plant]]s. It is a [[Diaspore (botany)|diaspore]] that, once mature and dry, [[Abscission|detaches]] from its root or stem and [[Rotating locomotion in living systems|rolls]] due to the force of the [[wind]]. In most such species, the tumbleweed is in effect the entire plant apart from the [[root]] system, but in other plants, a hollow [[fruit]] or [[inflorescence]] might detach instead.<ref name="Ganong1921p359"Ganong1927p359>{{cite book |first=W.F. |last=Ganong |author-link=William Francis Ganong |year=1927 |title=A Textbook of Botany for Colleges|author=William Francis Ganong|publisher=MacMillan Co.|year=1921 |page=359 |url=https://bookswww.googlebiodiversitylibrary.comorg/books?iditem/69293#page/377/mode/1up |access-date=RkgaAAAAYAAJ5 March 2024}}</ref> [[Xerophyte]] tumbleweed species occur most commonly in [[steppe]] and [[arid]] [[ecosystem]]s, where frequent wind and the open environment permit rolling without prohibitive obstruction.<ref name="Baker2007">{{cite booksfn|author=Dirk V. Baker|title=Dispersal of an Invasive Tumbleweed|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=HzKOSux-3UoC&pg=PA90|year=2007|isbnp=978-0-549-44310-0|pages=90–90}}</ref>

Apart from its primary vascular system and roots, the tissues of the tumbleweed structure are dead; their death is functional because it is necessary for the structure to degrade gradually and fall apart so that its [[seed]]s or [[spore]]s can escape during the tumbling, or [[germinate]] after the tumbleweed has come to rest in a wetmoist location. In the latter case, many species of tumbleweed open mechanically, releasing their seeds as they swell when they absorb water.<ref>{{cite journal|title=An outline of phytobiology|authorfirst=W. F. |last=Ganong |author-link=William Francis Ganong |year=1896 |title=An outline of phytobiology |journal=Bulletin of the Natural History Society of New Brunswick|year=1896 |volume=13 |pages=3–26, page 1 errata |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=CNMRAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA16}} page 16</ref>

The tumbleweed diaspore [[seed dispersal|disperses]] seeds, but the tumbleweed strategy is not limited to the [[Spermatophyte|seed plants]]; some species of spore-bearing [[cryptogam]]s—such as ''[[Selaginella]]''—form tumbleweeds, and some fungi that resemble [[puffballs]] dry out, break free of their attachments and are similarly tumbled by the wind, dispersing spores as they go.<ref name="Jr.Miller1988">{{cite book |author1first1=Orson K. Miller, Jr. |last1=Miller |author2first2=Hope H. |last2=Miller |year=1988 |title=Gasteromycetes: Morphological and Developmentaldevelopmental Featuresfeatures with Keyskeys to the Ordersorders, Familiesfamilies, and Genera|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=NwFFAAAAYAAJ|year=1988genera |publisher=Mad River PressIncPress |isbn=978-0-916422-74-5 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=NwFFAAAAYAAJ}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |first=Sheppard Arthur |last=Watson |year=1928 |publication-date=1930 |title=The Miridae of Ohio (volume&nbsp;4) |series=Bulletin, Ohio Biological Survey / Knull series |publisher=[[Ohio State University]] |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=P0UsAQAAIAAJ|year=1928|publisher=Ohio State University}}</ref>

[[File:Tumbleweed Blooming.jpg|thumb|right|300px|Young tumbleweedplant blooming in the [[Mojave desertDesert]] in April, after an extremely wet winter season]]

[[File:Salsola tragus tumbleweed.jpg|thumb|A ''[[KaliSalsola tragus]]'' tumbleweed caught against a fence]]

The tumbleweed dispersal strategies are unusual among plants; most species disperse their seeds by other mechanisms. Many tumbleweeds [[ruderal species|establish themselves on broken soil]] as [[Opportunism#Biological|opportunistic]] agricultural [[weed]]s. Tumbleweeds have been recorded in the following plant groups:<ref>{{cite booksfn|last=Baker|first=Dirk V.|title=Dispersal of an Invasive Tumbleweed|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=HzKOSux-3UoC|year=2007|isbn=978-0-549-44310-0|pagep=3}}</ref>

In the family [[Amaranthaceae]] ''[[sensu|s.l.]]'' (i.e. broadly defined to include [[Chenopodiaceae]]), several annual species of the genus [[Kali (plant)|''Kali'']] are tumbleweeds. They are thought to be native to [[Eurasia]], but when their seeds entered [[North America]] in shipments of [[agricultural]] seeds, they became [[Naturalisation (biology)|naturalized]] in large areas. In the cinema genre of [[Western (genre)|Westerns]], they have long been symbols of frontier areas. ''[[Kali tragus]]'' is the so-called "Russian thistle". It is an annual plant that breaks off at the [[plant stem|stem]] base when it dies, and forms a tumbleweed, dispersing its seeds as the wind rolls it along.<ref>{{cite web|last=Main|first=Douglas|title=Consider the tumbleweed|date=2 March 2011|url=http://scienceline.org/2011/03/virtues-of-a-weed/|publisher=scienceline.org|access-date=4 August 2011}}</ref> It is said to have arrived in the United States in shipments of [[flax]] seeds to [[South Dakota]], perhaps about 1870.<ref name="Epple1997">{{cite book | last = Epple | first = Anne | title = Plants of Arizona | publisher = Falcon | year = 1997 | page = 352 | isbn = 978-1-56044-563-0}}</ref> It now is a [[noxious weed]] throughout North America, dominating disturbed habitats such as roadsides, cultivated fields, [[eroded]] slopes, and arid regions with sparse vegetation. Though it is a troublesome weed, ''Kali tragus'' also provides useful [[livestock]] [[forage]] on arid rangelands.<ref name=FNA242100193>[{{cite book |section=''Salsola tragus'' {{small|(Linnaeus)}} |title=Flora of North America |volume=4 |pages=399–402 |section-url=http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=1&taxon_id=242100193 Salsola tragus Linnaeus] in Vol. 4 Page 399, 400, 401, 402 [|url=http://www.efloras.org/flora_page.aspx?flora_id=1 Flora of North America],|via=eFloras.org}} [http://www.efloras.org eFloras.org].</ref>

Other members of the Amaranthaceae (s.l.) that form tumbleweeds include ''[[Kochia]]'' species,<ref name="Pammel1903">{{cite book|title=Some Weeds of Iowa|authorfirst=Louis Hermann |last=Pammel|publisher=Experiment Station, Iowa State College of Agriculture and the Mechanic Arts|year=1903|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=croUAAAAYAAJ}} page 477</ref><ref>
{{cite journal

|authorlast=D. A. Becker

Among the Amaranthaceae ([[Sensu|s.s.]]) that form tumbleweeds, there are several species of ''Amaranthus'', such as ''[[Amaranthus albus]]'', native to [[Central America]] but invasive in [[Europe]], [[Asia]], and [[Australia]]; and ''[[Amaranthus graecizans]]'', native to [[Africa]], but naturalized in North America.<ref name="Abrams1944">{{cite book | last = Matt Jolley Abrams | first = LeRoyLe&nbsp;Roy | year = 1944 | title = Illustrated Flora of the Pacific States Volume| volume = 2 | publisher = [[Stanford University Press | year = 1944 | page = 644]] | isbn = 978-0-8047-0004-7 | page = 644 }}</ref> ''[[Amaranthus retroflexus]]'', which is indigenous to tropical North and South America, has become nearly cosmopolitan largely as a weed, but like many other species of ''Amaranthus'', it also is widely valued as animal forage and as human food, though it should be utilised with caution to avoid toxicity.<ref name="WattPP">{{cite book |last1=Watt, |first1=John Mitchell; |last2=Breyer-Brandwijk, |first2=Maria Gerdina: |year=1962 |title=The Medicinal and Poisonous Plants of Southern and Eastern Africa |edition=2nd ed Pub. |publisher=E & S Livingstone 1962}}</ref>

Several Southern African [[Genus|genera]] in the family [[Amaryllidaceae]] produce highly optimised tumbleweeds; their [[inflorescence]]s are globular [[umbel]]s with long, spoke-like [[Pedicel (botany)|pedicels]], either effectively at ground level, or breaking off once the stems are dry. When the seeds are about ripe, the fruit remain attached to the [[Peduncle (botany)|peduncles]], but the stem of the umbel detaches, permitting the globes to roll about in the wind. The light, open, globular structures form very effective tumbleweed diaspores, dropping their seeds usually within a few days as the follicles fail under the wear of rolling. The seeds are fleshy, short-lived, and germinate rapidly where they land. Being poisonous and distasteful, they are not attractive to candidate transport animals, so the rolling diaspore is a very effective dispersal strategy for such plants. Genera with this means of seed dispersal include ''[[Ammocharis]]'', ''[[Boophone]]'', ''[[Crossyne]]'' and ''[[Brunsvigia]]''.<ref name="JManningFB">{{cite book | last = Manning | first = John |year = 2008 |title = Field Guide to Fynbos | publisher = [[Struik Publishers]] | location = Cape Town, | year = 2008ZA | isbn = 9781770072657 }}</ref>

Some species of the [[Apiaceae]] form tumbleweeds from their flower umbels, much as some Amaryllidaceae do.<ref name="Ganong1921p359Ganong1927p359"/>

In the [[Asteraceae]], the knapweed ''[[Centaurea diffusa]]'' forms tumbleweeds. It is native to [[Eurasia]] and is naturalized in much of [[North America]]. Also in the Asteraceae, ''[[Lessingia glandulifera]]'', native to America, sometimes forms tumbleweeds; it grows on sandy soils in desert areas, chaparral, and open pine forests of the western United States.<ref name=FNA250068552>[{{cite book |section=Lessingia glandulifera |title=Flora of North America |volume=20 |pages=452, 454, 456 |section-url=http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=1&taxon_id=250068552 Lessingia glandulifera] in Vol. 20 Page 452, 454, 456 [|url=http://www.efloras.org/flora_page.aspx?flora_id=1 Flora of North America],|via=eFloras.org}} [http://www.efloras.org eFloras.org].</ref>

In the [[Caryophyllaceae]], the garden plant "baby's-breath" (''[[Gypsophila paniculata]]''), produces a dry inflorescence that forms tumbleweeds. In parts of central and western North America, it has become a common weed in many locations including hayfields and pastures.<ref name=FNA242000539>[{{cite book |section=''Gypsophila paniculata'' {{small|(Linnaeus)}} |title=Flora of North America |volume=5 |section-url=http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=1&taxon_id=242000539 Gypsophila paniculata Linnaeus] in Vol. 5 [|url=http://www.efloras.org/flora_page.aspx?flora_id=1 Flora of North America],|via=eFloras.org}} [http://www.efloras.org eFloras.org].</ref>

In the legume family ([[Fabaceae]]), ''[[Baptisia tinctoria]]'' and some species of ''[[Psoralea]]'' produce tumbleweeds. In ''Psoralea'' the tumbleweed detaches from the plant by [[abscission]] of the stem.<ref>
{{cite journal

|volume=55 |issue=7 |pages=753–756

Inflorescences that act as tumbling diaspores occur in some [[Poaceae|grasses]], including ''[[Schedonnardus]] paniculatus'' and some species of ''[[Eragrostis]]'' and ''[[Aristida]]''.<ref name=Gibson2009>
{{Citecite book

| last = Gibson | first = David J.

| firstyear = David J.2009

| pagelocation = 52Oxford, UK

}}</ref> In these plants, the inflorescences break off and tumble in the wind instead of the whole plant, much as happens in some of the Apiaceae and Amaryllidaceae. The species of ''[[Spinifex (coastal grass)|Spinifex]]'' from Southeast Asia are prominent examples of this dispersal adaptation.<ref name=Dawson2005>{{Cite book| last1 = Dawson | first1 = John| last2 = Lucas | first2 = Rob | year = 2005 | title = The natureNature of plants Plants: habitatsHabitats, challenges, and adaptations | page = 314 | location = Melbourne | publisher = CSIRO Publishing| isbn = 0-643-09161-0| location = Melbourne}}</ref> These grasses are often called tumble-grasses, including such species as ''[[Panicum capillare]]'' and ''[[Eragrostis pectinacea]]'' in the United States.<ref name=Pound1977>{{Citecite book | last1 = Pound | first1 = Roscoe | last2 = Clements | first2 = Frederic E. | year = 1977 | title = The phytogeographyPhytogeography of Nebraska | publisher = [[Arno Press]] | place = New York, NY | isbn = 0-405-10417-0 | page = 156 | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=jh_lQzlMsc0C&q=grasses+as+tumbleweeds&pg=PA156| isbn = 0-405-10417-0| publisher = Arno Press| location = New York: Arno Press}}</ref>

In the [[Solanaceae]], ''[[Solanum rostratum]] ''.<ref name="Pammel1903"/> forms tumbleweeds.

Wind dispersed fruits that tumble or roll on the ground, sometimes known as "tumble fruits", are rare. Some are technically [[achenes]]. Highly inflated indehiscent fruits that may facilitate tumbling include ''[[Alyssopsis]]'', ''[[Coluteocarpus]]'', ''[[Physoptychis]]'', ''[[Sutherlandia]]'', and ''[[Physaria]]''.<ref name="FGVPv5p83">
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Very similar in habit to ''Anastatica'', but practically unrelated, are the spore-bearing ''[[Selaginella lepidophylla]]'' (a [[Lycopodiophyta|lycopod]]) and earthstar mushroom family ([[Geastraceae]]). All of these curl into a ball when dry and uncurl when moistened.

The [[United States Department of Agriculture]] classified the ubiquitous tumbleweeds as a non-native and extremely invasive plant in the United States. They are considered noxious in nature and detrimental in many ways. Tumbleweeds thrive within disturbed soil situations and are a major contributor to native plant extinctions and [[wildfire]]s, being highly [[Combustibility and flammability|flammable]] and bouncing over or rapidly growing in land cleared of vegetation between fields or areas of forest as [[firebreak]]s. Despite over a century of cooperation between Mexican, Canadian, and U.S.US governments to combat the species, tumbleweeds can beare found in most regions of North America.<ref>{{Citecite report |title=Tumbleweed Program |date=c. 2016 |department=Weed Abatement Division |place=[[Los Angeles County]], CA |publisher=Department of the Agricultural/Weights and Measures Commissioner web|url=https://plants.usda.gov/plantguide/pdf/pg_satr12.pdf |title via= USDA Plantsplants Database}}</ref><ref>http://filedatabase (plants.lacountyusda.gov/SDSInter/acwm/215984_WADTProgram.pdf) {{Bare URL PDF|date=March 2022}}</ref>

Some [[ruderal species]] that disperse as tumbleweeds are serious weeds that significantly promote wind erosion in open regions. {{citation needed|date=July 2020}} Their effects are particularly harmful to [[dryland farming|dry-land agricultural operations]] where the outside application of additional moisture is not practicable. One study showed that a single Russian thistle can remove up to 167 liters ({{convert|44 gallons)|usgal|L|abbr=in|order=flip}} of water from the soil in competition with a wheat crop in one year.<ref>
{{Cite book

| last1 = Parker, Ph.D.| first1 = Robert

| access-date = 2 April 2009 | url-status = dead

| urlarchive-statusdate = dead16 January 2009

It sometimes happens that species of large tumbleweed, especially if thorny, can form aggregations that are physically hazardous and can block roads and cover buildings and vehicles. This can most obviously happen where fences and similar obstacles cause the accumulation, but the weeds can also entangle each other spontaneously until they form piles that can no longer roll. Such piles can be a serious threat to trapped vehicles or buildings and their occupants, most particularly because they are dry and flammable. Examples of enveloped buildings and vehicles have been documented mainly in the Western regions of the US. In residential areas, an example was the town of [[Mobridge, South Dakota]], where in 1989 tens of tons of large tumbleweeds ("Russian thistles") that had matured in the dry bed of nearby [[Lake Oahe]] buried many houses so deeply that mechanical equipment was necessary to remove it, release occupants, and counter the fire hazard.<ref name="Stablein1995">{{cite book |authorfirst=Marilyn |last=Stablein |year=1995 |title=Climate of Extremes: Landscape and Imaginationimagination |publisher=Black Heron Press |isbn=978-0-930773-39-7 |page=33&nbsp;ff |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=vjq0x-fQksQC&pg=PA33|year=1995|publisher=Black Heron Press|isbn=978-0-930773-39-7|pages=33–}}</ref><ref>{{cite webnews |agency=[[Knight Ridder News Service]] |title=Flood control brings avalanche of tumbleweeds, other woes |date=25 December 1989 |department=Mobridge, SD |newspaper=[[The Toledo Blade]] |place=Toledo, OH |page=34 |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1350&dat=19891225&id=h0tQAAAAIBAJ&pg=6967,3877275 |titlevia=Toledo Blade - Google News Archivearchive Search|work=search (news.google.com) }}</ref>

There was a significant outbreak of ''[[Panicum effusum]]'' in the [[Australia]]n town of [[Wangaratta]] in February 2016 that attracted international attention. The seed heads of the weed, known locally as "hairy panic", had piled several meters deep in some places, forcing residents to spend several hours removing it to regain access to their doors and homes.<ref>{{cite news|title=Australia town consumed by 'hairy panic' |date=2016-02-18 |df=dmy-all |website=[[BBC News]] |publisher=British Broadcasting Corporation |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-australia-35600546 |access-date=2016-05-12|work=BBC News|publisher=British Broadcasting Corporation|date=2016-02-18}}</ref><ref>{{cite newsAV media |title=Video: 'Hairy Panicpanic' tumbleweed takes over Australian homes |date=2016-02-18 |df=dmy-all |medium=news video |publisher=[[The Belfast Telegraph]] (newspaper) |url=http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/video-news/video-hairy-panic-tumbleweed-takes-over-australian-homes-34464665.html |access-date=2016-05-12}}{{Dead link|workfix-attempted=Belfast Telegraphyes|date=2016-02-18December 2023}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1last=Halkon |first1first=Ruth |title=Entire town buried under bizarre 'hairy panic' weed that has baffled experts |newspaper=[[Daily Mirror|The Mirror]] |place=London, UK |date=2016-02-18 |url=https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/weird-news/entire-town-buried-under-bizarre-7391972 |access-date=2016-05-12|work=Mirror (UK)|date=2016-02-18}}</ref> The local council subsequently indicated it was considering attaching large vacuums to street-sweepers in an attempt to control the outbreak.<ref>{{cite news |title=Big vacuums could combat 'hairy panic' in Australia city |date=2016-02-19 |df=dmy-all |website=[[BBC News]] |publisher=British Broadcasting Corporation |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-australia-35609602 |access-date=2016-05-12|work=BBC News|publisher=British Broadcasting Corporation|date=2016-02-19}}</ref>

On 18 April 18, 2018, strong winds and neglected maintenance of neighboring private land brought in a very large number of tumbleweeds into [[Victorville, California]]. and aboutApproximately 100 to 150 homes required help from public services after their entryways were at least partly blocked off. The local fire department also participated in the cleanup as the massive influx of tumbleweeds presented both a safety and fire hazard.<ref>{{cite news |title='Houses disappeared' when tumbleweeds rolled into this California city |department=The two-way |website=npr.org |publisher=[[National Public Radio]] (NPR) |place=U.S. |url=https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2018/04/18/603535155/houses-disappeared-when-tumbleweeds-rolled-into-this-california-city 'Houses Disappeared' When Tumbleweeds Rolled Into This California City]}}</ref>

A similar incident occurred on 31 December 31, 2019, when high winds dislodged a large number of tumbleweeds on the [[Hanford Site|Hanford Reservation]] northwest of [[Richland, Washington]]. The tumbleweeds piled up {{convert|15 |to |20 feet (5–7 meters)|ft|round=0.5|abbr=in|order=flip}} deep in some areas, burying cars and trucks and closing [[Washington State Route 240]] for ten hours while road crews used snowplows to remove the tumbleweeds.<ref>[https://cliffmass.blogspot.com/2020/01/the-meteorology-of-tumbleweed-storm.html{{cite web |title=The Meteorologymeteorology of the Tumbleweedtumbleweed Stormstorm. Plus, Thethe Ukrainian Connection] : {{Blogspotconnection |date=January cliffmass2020 |website=CliffMass.Blogspot.com |series=Cliff Mass Weatherweather Andand Climateclimate Blog}},blog retrieved|url=https://cliffmass.blogspot.com/2020/01/the-meteorology-of-tumbleweed-storm.html |access-date=2020-01-03 |df=dmy-all}}</ref><ref>{{cite tweet |user=wspd3pio |number=1212403363326779392 |date=2020-01-01 |title=Tumblegeddon }}</ref>{{better source needed|date=December 2022}}

Tumbleweeds have also been observed to causecausing issuesproblems with wastewater treatment plants. In some cases of inadequate fencing, they can get entangled in electromechanical equipment within plants such as clarifiers and mechanical aerators leading to increased energy use and labor cost associated with operating and cleaning the units.<ref>{{cite report |last=Thompson, |first=M. (|year=2018) |title=Evaluating opportunities and barriers to improving the energy efficiency of small Nebraska wastewater treatment plants |publisher=[[University of Nebraska]] |place=Lincon, NE |issn=2766-1415 |page=83 |url=http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1016&context=envengdiss 'Evaluating Opportunities and Barriers to Improving the Energy Efficiency of Small Nebraska Wastewater Treatment Plants',pp|via=digitalcommons.83]unl.edu}}</ref>

Originating in the [[Western (genre)|Western]] genre, tumbleweeds have come to beare occasionallyfrequently used as a [[Trope (cinema)|trope]] in films and TV shows. In shots that are set in a desolate and deserted place, or generally in a localitylocale wherewith little is happeningactivity, tumbleweeds may be seen rolling across the scenery.<ref>{{cite web |first=Genevieve |last=Carlton |title=11&nbsp;Historically inaccurate tropes western movies always get wrong |website=ranker.com |url=https://www.ranker.com/list/historically-inaccurate-western-movie-tropes/genevieve-carlton | title=11 Historically Inaccurate Tropes Western Movies Always Get Wrong }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |first=Kevin |last=Hohenberger |date=2022-12-03 |title=10&nbsp;Western tropes that most western movies actually break |website=[[Collider (website)|Collider]] |url=https://tvtropescollider.orgcom/pmwikiwestern-movie-tropes-the-genre-breaks/pmwiki.php }}</Main/QuieterThanSilenceref>{{better source needed|date=December title2022|reason=QuieterIs ThanCollider a Silencegood source?}}</ref> This motif has become clichéd,<ref>{{cite webnews |title=Tumbleweeds: Enduring symbol of West is Fernley nuisance | date=7 March 2019 |website=[[KOLO-TV]] |place=Reno, NV |url=https://www.kolotv.com/content/news/Tumbleweeds-an-enduring-symbol-of-the-West-in-Fernley-a-nuisance-506800131.html | title=Tumbleweeds: Enduring symbol of West is Fernley nuisance }}</ref> with the result that it is nowadays primarily used with humoristic intent, for example when a short but embarrassing moment of silence occurs during a scene. One of the best-known uses of tumbleweed in cinema is in the opening sequence of ''[[The Big Lebowski]]'' (1998), where it symbolisessymbolizes the "drifting" nature of the main character.<ref>{{cite web |title=The tumbling tumbleweed |date=7 April 2015 |type=blog |website=eng282.wordpress.com | url=https://eng282.wordpress.com/2015/04/07/the-tumbling-tumbleweed/}}</ref>{{better | title=The Tumbling Tumbleweedsource needed| date=7 April 2015December 2022}}</ref>

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