Erigeron bilbaoanus
Common names
fleabane
Biostatus
Exotic
Category
Vascular
Structural class
Herbs - Dicotyledonous composites
Simplified description
The plant has hairy leaves and a branched hairy stem to 1.5 m tall. It has numerous dingy cream heads 1.5–2.5 mm diameter, the heads usually with purple tinge when mature. The involucral bracts surrounding each head (capitulum) are less hairy than in the similar (and usually more common) E. sumatrensis.
Flower colours
White, Yellow
Similar taxa
E. bonariensis is easily distinguished from the other common weedy Erigeron spp. by its narrow leaves, usually twisted and with wavy or undulate margins and by its larger flower heads (capitula). E. bilbaoanus has its bracts around each capitulum (the involucral bracts) much less hairy than those of E. bonariensis and E. sumatrensis, the latter two being distinguished most readily by the twisted vs flat leaves.
Conservation status
Not applicable
Detailed taxonomy
Family
Asteraceae
Synonyms
Conyza bilbaoana J.Rémy; C. canadensis (hence common name of Canadian fleabane)
Ecology
Year naturalised
1855
Origin
S.America
Other information
Etymology
erigeron: From the Greek eri ‘early’ (or ear ‘spring’) and geron ‘old’, possibly alluding to the hairy seed pappus, or perhaps to the hoary appearance of the leaves of some species in the spring.
NVS code
The National Vegetation Survey (NVS) Databank is a physical archive and electronic databank containing records of over 94,000 vegetation survey plots - including data from over 19,000 permanent plots. NVS maintains a standard set of species code abbreviations that correspond to standard scientific plant names from the Ngä Tipu o Aotearoa - New Zealand Plants database.
ERIBIL