PHOENIX — Stinknet is back in the Valley and officials are urging residents to help stop the spread of the invasive species.
The yellow-flowered plant spreads rapidly and can outcompete native vegetation, while also aggravating allergies and asthma. Officials with the City of Tempe said that a single seed head can produce hundreds of seeds.
The Central Arizona Conservation Alliance said that the plant also increases wildfire risk. When dried, stinknet burns hot and fast. Because it fills in gaps between native plants, fires can spread farther than they would in a natural desert ecosystem…