Ageratina adenophora

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Crofton weed
Ageratina adenophora (Flower) 2.jpg
Crofton weed
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Asterids
Order: Asterales
Family: Asteraceae
Genus: Ageratina
Species:
A. adenophora
Binomial name
Ageratina adenophora
Synonyms [1]
  • Eupatorium adenophorumSpreng.
  • Eupatorium glandulosum Michx.
  • Eupatorium glandulosumHort. ex Kunth
  • Eupatorium pasadenenseParish
Ageratina adenophora (Nepali: kaaliimuntte, romanized: kalimunte
) plant found in Panchkhal Valley, Nepal Kalimunte.jpg
Ageratina adenophora (Nepali : कालीमुन्टे, romanized: kalimunte) plant found in Panchkhal Valley, Nepal

Ageratina adenophora (synonym Eupatorium adenophorum), commonly known as Crofton weed, is a species of flowering plant in the family Asteraceae native to Mexico and Central America. Originally grown as an ornamental plant, it has become invasive into farmland and bushland worldwide. It is toxic to horses, which develop a respiratory disease known as Numinbah horse sickness after eating it.

Contents

Taxonomy

Ageratina adenophora is known by many common names, including eupatory, sticky eupatorium, [2] sticky snakeroot, thoroughwort, and Mexican devil.

Description

Ageratina adenophora is a perennial herbaceous shrub that may grow to 1 or 2 metres (3.3 or 6.6 ft) high. It has opposite trowel-shaped serrated leaves that are 6–10 cm (2.4–3.9 in) long by 3–6 cm (1.2–2.4 in) in width. The small compound flowers occur in late spring and summer, and are found in clusters at the end of branches. Each flowerhead is up to 0.5 cm in the diameter and creamy white. Each small flower is followed by a small brown seed with a white feathery "parachute" that can be dispersed by the wind similar to a dandelion. [3]

Distribution and habitat

It is native to Mexico, but it is known in many other parts of the world as an introduced species and often a noxious weed. It has caused great economic loss in agriculture in southwestern China, and is threatening the native biodiversity there. It was first inadvertently introduced to Yunnan around 1940, and its rapid spread is due in part to its allelopathic competition with other plant species. [4] It also a weed in Australia, where it was introduced to Sydney in 1904. It has spread along the coastline of New South Wales and southern Queensland. [3] It is rated a Class 4 Noxious Weed under the NSW Noxious Weeds Act of 1993.

Ageratina adenophora has also spread in Hawaii and the mainland United States, where it is recognised as a weed in ten states of the South and Southwest. [5]

Elsewhere it is an invasive species in many tropical and subtropical countries, including northeastern India, China, Sri Lanka, Nigeria, Southeast Asia, Australia, New Zealand, the Pacific Islands, the Canary Islands, Portugal (including the Azores and Madeira islands) and South Africa. [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] [10]

The plant can spread vegetatively (i.e., the stems can sprout roots and grow upon contact with earth). The seed is also carried by the wind or water and readily colonises disturbed areas, such as fields and areas near human habitation. Seed may also be transported on animals and in soil. [3]

Galls

This species is host to the following insect induced gall:

external link to gallformers

Eupatorium Gall Fly Procecidochares utilis.jpg
Eupatorium Gall Fly

Toxicity

Crofton weed is toxic to livestock. Ongoing consumption of crofton weed by horses leads to chronic lung disease, known as Numinbah Horse Sickness or Tallebudgera Horse Disease in northern New South Wales and Queensland. Outbreaks occurred in Hawaii in the 1920s, and subsequently in eastern Australia and Northland in New Zealand. There are reports of farms losing all their horses to the condition. It is typified by impaired ability to work or exercise and emphysema. Pathological findings include pulmonary interstitial fibrosis and alveolar epithelisation. [11]

Etymology

Ageratina is derived from Greek meaning 'un-aging', in reference to the flowers keeping their color for a long time. This name was used by Dioscorides for a number of different plants. [12]

Related Research Articles

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<i>Cirsium vulgare</i> Species of flowering plant in the daisy family Asteraceae

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<i>Ageratina altissima</i> Species of plant

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Noxious weed</span> Harmful or invasive weed

A noxious weed, harmful weed or injurious weed is a weed that has been designated by an agricultural or other governing authority as a plant that is injurious to agricultural or horticultural crops, natural habitats or ecosystems, or humans or livestock. Most noxious weeds have been introduced into an ecosystem by ignorance, mismanagement, or accident. Some noxious weeds are native. Typically they are plants that grow aggressively, multiply quickly without natural controls, and display adverse effects through contact or ingestion. Noxious weeds are a large problem in many parts of the world, greatly affecting areas of agriculture, forest management, nature reserves, parks and other open space.

<i>Chromolaena odorata</i> Species of flowering plant

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<i>Lantana camara</i> Species of plant

Lantana camara is a species of flowering plant within the verbena family (Verbenaceae), native to the American tropics. It is a very adaptable species, which can inhabit a wide variety of ecosystems; once it has been introduced into a habitat it spreads rapidly; between 45ºN and 45ºS and more than 1,400 metres in altitude.

<i>Ageratina riparia</i> Species of flowering plant

Ageratina riparia, commonly known as mistflower, is a species of flowering plant in the family Asteraceae, native to Mexico. The species is widely adventive and has spread to Cuba, Jamaica, and other parts of the Caribbean. It has also been introduced as an ornamental plant and naturalized in a variety of regions, including parts of Hawaii, South Africa, Southeast Asia, Macaronesia, Oceania, Peru, and the Indian subcontinent. In tropical climates, A. riparia is highly invasive and a variety of control methods have been developed to reduce its spread.

<i>Ambrosia tomentosa</i> Species of flowering plant

Ambrosia tomentosa, the skeletonleaf bur ragweed, silverleaf povertyweed, or skeleton-leaf bursage, is a North American species of perennial plants in the family Asteraceae.

<i>Entyloma ageratinae</i> Species of fungus

Entyloma ageratinae, commonly known as the mist flower smut, is a leaf smut fungus and plant pathogen widely employed as a biological herbicide in the control of the invasive plant Ageratina riparia. The pathogen was first identified in Jamaica in 1974 and was isolated as a distinct species in 1988.

<i>Dittrichia graveolens</i> Species of flowering plant

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<i>Eupatorium macrocephalum</i> Species of flowering plant

Eupatorium macrocephalum Less. aka pompom weed, is a cosmopolitan perennial plant belonging to the family of Asteraceae and regarded as an invasive weed in some countries. It is native to the southern United States, Central America, South America and was introduced to South Africa. It is classed as a principal weed in Brazil. In South Africa it has been cultivated as an ornamental, is often found on roadsides, and has become of concern for its invading of undisturbed climax grassland and wetlands since the 1960s. It is closely related to Siam weed, and is one of some 268 species in the genus.

References

  1. "Ageratina adenophora (Spreng.) R.M.King & H.Rob.". The Global Compositae Checklist (GCC) via The Plant List. Note that this website has been superseded by World Flora Online
  2. "STICKY EUPATORIUM" (PDF). The Plants: How to Remove Bay Area Weeds.
  3. 1 2 3 Wolff, Mark A. (1999). Winning the war of Weeds: The Essential Gardener's Guide to Weed Identification and Control. Kenthurst, NSW: Kangaroo Press. p. 17. ISBN   0-86417-993-6.
  4. Baruah, N. C.; Sarma, J. C.; Sarma, S.; Sharma, R. P. "Seed germination and growth inhibitory cadinenes from Eupatorium adenophorum Spreng". J. Chem. Ecol. 1994, 20, 18851892.
  5. 1 2 USDA, NRCS (n.d.). "Ageratina adenophora". The PLANTS Database (plants.usda.gov). Greensboro, North Carolina: National Plant Data Team. Retrieved 2008-09-20.
  6. "Ageratina adenophora". University of California website. University of California. Archived from the original on 2006-06-18. Retrieved 2008-09-20.
  7. Cronk, Q. C. B. & Fuller, J. L. (1995) Plant invaders: the threat to natural ecosystems. Chapman & Hall, London
  8. Wang, R. & Wang, Y.-Z. (2006) Invasion dynamics and potential spread of the invasive alien plant species Ageratina adenophora (Asteraceae) in China. Diversity and Distributions, 12, 397-408.
  9. Lalith Gunasekera, “Alien plants invasion in Horton Plains”, Sri Lanka Guardian, 23.9.2011 Accessed 19.6.2016.
  10. "Decreto-Lei n.º 92/2019, Artigo 17º: Lista Nacional de Espécies Invasoras". Diário da República . Retrieved 14 September 2023.
  11. Oelrichs PB, Calanasan CA, MacLeod JK, Seawright AA, Ng JC (1995). "Isolation of a compound from Eupatorium adenophorum (Spreng.) [Ageratina adenophora (Spreng.)] causing hepatotoxicity in mice". Natural Toxins. 3 (5): 350–54. doi:10.1002/nt.2620030505. PMID   8581319.
  12. Gledhill, David (2008). "The Names of Plants". Cambridge University Press. ISBN   9780521866453 (hardback), ISBN   9780521685535 (paperback). pp 39