A new species of gigantic tumbleweed once predicted to go extinct is not only here to stay -- it's likely to expand its territory.

The species, Salsola ryanii, is significantly larger than either of its parent plants, which can grow up to 6 feet tall. A new study from UC Riverside supports the theory that the new tumbleweed grows more vigorously because it is a hybrid with doubled pairs of its parents' chromosomes.

Findings from the study are detailed in a new paper published in the Oxford University-produced journal AoB...

As the summer heat is finally nearing its end, and its officially fall on the calendar, there unfortunately is a new crop of weeds flowering right now. Some of our summer annuls have started to go to seed, others are just about ready, and others are already starting to senesce. In order to manage these weeds, managers must stop the plants from reproducing. With our summer annuals that means stopping the plants from producing seeds, right about now, (or maybe three weeks ago). 

However, treating a giant tumbleweed right now isn't really my favorite activity. I'd rather spend my time treating small tumbleweeds and working more effectively and also using less labor and/or herbicides to do it in the process....