Bassia Scoparia (Kochia)

Bassia scoparia (kochia) is a fast-growing annual weed that usually develops a rounded or cone-shaped, bushy form. It has narrow, lance-like leaves arranged alternately along green to sometimes reddish stems, and its small green flowers are not very noticeable. As the season progresses, many plants turn reddish-purple in autumn, which is why the species is sometimes grown as an ornamental despite being a major agricultural weed.

Kochia reproduces only by seed and spreads very efficiently through its well-known tumbleweed behavior. Mature plants can break off near the soil surface and roll across fields in the wind, dispersing seeds over large distances. This movement, combined with strong pollen flow between plants and rapid growth in dry or disturbed environments, allows kochia populations to expand quickly across landscapes.

It competes aggressively with many field crops, including corn (maize), sorghum, soybean, sugar beet, sunflower, wheat, canola, peas, and oats, often causing yield losses in semi-arid production systems. The weed is most common in the western and northern United States, especially the Great Plains; across Canada’s Prairie Provinces and parts of Ontario and Québec; and in Europe, where it is introduced and naturalized, particularly in the Euromediterranean region and disturbed habitats of northwestern Europe.