We took a fun staff day along our wonderful Russian River this month after our annual fundraiser event, Rippin’ River Bash. This was a great way to celebrate our staff and all the hard work accomplished this year. Our team was guided by our dear friends over at Russian River Adventures in their boats. Before taking dips into the fun swimming holes, we attended to a very important issue, the collection of wisteria.
Scarlet wisteria, Sesbania punicea, is an ornamental woody shrub or small tree that grows to 14ft with clusters of bright red-orange drooping flowers and acacia like compound leaves. Wisteria produces large distinct seedpods that can get up to 3-4 inches long. When shaken in the wind these pods make a rattling sound giving this it the common name “rattlebox”. This plant is listed HIGH priority for removal by the Cal Invasive Plant Council due to its ability to aggressively take over riverbanks.
Scarlet Wisteria opposes the following threats to people and wildlife:
- Heavy water user
- Shallow root systems increase erosion
- Creates dense thickets
- Displaces native vegetation
- Toxic and potentially lethal to humans and wildlife if ingested
We were able to collect and properly dispose of several bags of wisteria along the Russian River. Great work team!