Home | > | List of families | > | Asteraceae | > | Ageratum | > | houstonianum |
Synonyms: |
Ageratum conyzoides L. subsp. houstonianum (Mill.) Sahu Ageratum mexicanum Sims |
Common names: | Floss flower (English) |
Frequency: | Occasional |
Status: | Introduced and naturalised |
Description: |
Annual herb, 10-60 cm. Leaves: base usually cordate. Florets purple, occasionally pale lilac to white. Phyllaries 4-5 mm, linear-lanceolate, attenuate, entire, ciliate, the back densely glandular-hairy. Style arms exserted 2 mm or more from corolla tube. |
Notes: | A. houstonianum is a more garden-worthy plant than A. conyzoides, with larger and more strongly coloured capitula. Although it is generally easy to separate these two species from general appearance, it is not so easy to devise reliable and unambiguous key characters. |
Derivation of specific name: | |
Habitat: | Roadsides, areas of disturbed ground and by streams. |
Altitude range: (metres) | 1070 - 1660 m |
Flowering time: | Oct - May |
Worldwide distribution: | Native of Mexico but also a pantropical weed. |
Zimbabwe distribution: | C,E |
Growth form(s): | |
Endemic status: | |
Red data list status: | |
Insects associated with this species: | Hypolimnas misippus (Food plant) |
Spot characters: | Display spot characters for this species |
Images last updated: | Saturday 24 September 2005 |
Literature: |
Beentje, H.J. & Ghazanfar, S.A. (eds.) (2005). Compositae (Part 3) Flora of Tropical East Africa Pages 828 - 832. (Includes a picture). Fabian, A. & Germishuizen, G. (1997). Wild Flowers of Northern South Africa. Fernwood Press, Vlaeburg. Page 436. (Includes a picture). Henderson, L. (2001). Alien weeds and invasive plants Plant Protection Research Institute Handbook No. 12. Plant Protection Research Institute, Agricultural Research Council, South Africa. Page 39. (Includes a picture). Mapaura, A. & Timberlake, J. (eds) (2004). A checklist of Zimbabwean vascular plants Southern African Botanical Diversity Network Report No. 33 Sabonet, Pretoria and Harare Page 23. Pooley, E. (1998). A Field Guide to the Wild Flowers of KwaZulu-Natal and the Eastern Region. Natal Flora Publications Trust. Durban. Page 498. (Includes a picture). |
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