SafePlants

Menzies' Fiddleneck (Amsinckia menziesii)

Considerations for Pets

• This plant has bristly stems and leaves.

Considerations for Children

• This plant has bristly stems and leaves.

Common Names

• Menzies' Fiddleneck
• Common Fiddleneck
• Small-flowered Fiddleneck
• Tarweed
• Rancher's Fireweed
• Rigid Fireweed

Taxonomy and Nomenclature

• Scientific Name: Amsinckia menziesii (Lehm.) A. Nelson &amp J.F. Macbr.
• Family: Boraginaceae (Borage family)
• Varieties:
  • Amsinckia menziesii var. intermedia (Common Fiddleneck, Intermediate Fiddleneck)
  • Amsinckia menziesii var. menziesii (Menzies' Fiddleneck)
• Synonyms: Some resources may refer to this plant using older or alternative scientific names.

Distribution and Habitat

• Native to the U.S.
• Observed in locations such as eastern Washington (shrub-steppe habitat), Lower Table Rock near Medford, Oregon, and the Lower Crab Creek Unit of the Columbia River National Wildlife Refuge.
• Found blooming in oak groves.

Ecological Role

• Considered an introduced annual weed in some areas.
• Can be problematic in agronomic crop fields, orchards, and pastures.

Morphological Characteristics and Growth Habits

• Erect growth habit.
• Stems and leaves are green and covered with bristles.
• The stem unrolls as flowers bloom from bottom to top.
• Small, yellow, tubular flowers are arranged on a coiled spike, resembling a fiddle's neck.

Quirky Facts

• The plant's common name, "Fiddleneck," comes from the coiled flower spike that resembles the neck of a fiddle.

Further Information

• USDA PLANTS Database: Symbol AMME
• CalPhotos
• EDDMapS: Distribution maps available, but noted as incomplete.
• CSU Stanislaus: The Use of Amsinckia menziesii (Menzies' Fiddleneck) in Restoration and Revegetation
• British Database of World Flora and Fauna