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Article History

Received: 1 June 2025

Accepted: 18 November 2025

First Online: 26 November 2025

Declarations

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: Annual sowthistle seed and little mallow were collected by coauthor Jani from naturally growing plants on commercial farms in Salinas (36°37’20.3"N 121°33’23.1"W) and Gilroy, California (37°00’12.1"N 121°31’57.2"W), respectively. Permission to collect seed from the field was given by the farm managers at both sites. Both annual sowthistle and little mallow are listed as noxious weeds by the University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources Integrated Pest Management Program. These species are not considered endangered or at risk of extinction in California. Due to the threat they pose to crops, both through direction competition for resources and as a vector for diseases, their removal from agricultural fields is a top priority for state agencies. Coauthor Jani identified both species while in the field the day that the seed was collected. Identification confirmation was based on coauthor Jani’s professional expertise and by consulting Weeds of California and other Western States by DiTomaso and Healy (2007) 51 . No voucher specimens were deposited in a public herbarium because the study species are designated noxious and are already widespread in the study region.

: During the preparation of this research, the authors used GPT4o to improve its readability and language. After using the tool, the authors reviewed and edited the content and take full responsibility for the content of the publication.

: The authors declare no competing interests.