SALT LAKE COUNTY — You'd think "donkeytail" or myrtle spurge would be welcome in a Utah garden. It's hardy, needs little maintenance and water, reproduces freely and is actually nice to look at.
But the plant — originally brought to the state from Europe as an ornamental ground cover — is on the "No-No" and "Get-out!" list.
Officials are concerned enough that they're extending an exchange offer to those who'll dig the plants up and bring them in to the conservation office for disposal.
Sage Fitch, noxious weed specialist for Salt Lake County, said people need to be made more aware of the problem with myrtle spurge, a very popular plant that has "jumped the fence" to the eastern foothills and nearby forest lands.
Salt Lake County officials and the Forest Service and Division of Foresty, Fire and State Lands have combined forces to try to get rid of the spurge in a campaign called "Purge the Spurge."
One day a year for the past five years, people have been asked to pull the weeds, bag them and trade them for preferred native species.
"It's not native to North America. It crowds out the native vegetation in the state's watershed areas. It throws out a lot of seed and forms such a thick mat that other plants can't survive. It's also a real serious health threat," Fitch said.
The spurge plants have a sap that's a toxin for humans, a toxin that once in contact with the skin and the sun, blisters and swells.
One young boy ended up in the Primary Children's Medical Center after he got some of the sap under his eyes, Fitch said. Others have reported classic anaphylactic shock reactions.
Animals foraging in the spurge break the stalk, get it into their eyes and go blind.
Efforts over the past years to "Purge the Spurge" are helping, Fitch said, but this year participation is down, so the county office has extended and expanded its weed exchange program (weeds can be exchanged from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Fridays).
"We're asking people to please continue to look for it and dig it up and bring it in. We'll give them a voucher for five free native plants in return," she said.
She is also concerned that nurseries in Davis, Weber and Utah counties may still be selling myrtle spurge. "We need it listed as a state noxious weed," Fitch said.
Mike Duncan, a botanist with the U.S. Forest Service, said he applauds Salt Lake County and the Bonneville CWMA for their proactive efforts.
"Salt Lake County has been the first to list it as a noxious weed and has done great work to encourage nurseries to stop selling the plant," Duncan said.
"People buy the plant because it is water wise and a good plant for rock gardens. Unknowingly they plant it and before long it is growing in the neighbors' yards ... in places where it wasn't intentionally planted, etc.
"Drive through any neighborhood along the front from North Ogden to Corner Canyon, and you will find this growing in people's yards," he said. "If it's in the yard, it's in the wildlands nearby."
He said the eradication is not a hopeless task but efforts have to be quick and consistent. The public must become involved.
Ben Bloodworth, Wasatch Front area manager with the Utah Division of Forestry, Fire and State Lands, said any effort taken to reduce the invasion is worthwhile.
"While the task seems insurmountable, there is hope, as each pair of newly educated hands that joins the fight brings us another step closer to winning the necessary battle against invasive species," he said.
"Great strides have been made by simply disseminating information to the public, letting people know that even though myrtle spurge started out as a locally sold landscape plant, it is environmentally hazardous and we need to remove it wherever it is found," Bloodworth said.
For plants that are wedged between rocks and cannot be pulled, the pesticides 2,4-D and glyphosate have been somewhat successful, Fitch said. Those dealing with the plants need to wear gloves, long sleeves and eye protection. (Bring at least a 4-inch root.)
If you go:
What: Voucher redemption event
Where: Salt Lake County Public Works, 604 W. 6960 South, Midvale
Sharon Haddock is a professional writer with 30 years experience, 17 at the Deseret News. Her personal blog is at sharonhaddock.blogspot.com.
Email: haddoc@desnews.com