Erechtites minima
Encyclopedia
Erechtites minima is a species of flowering plant in the aster family
known by the common names coastal burnweed and Australian fireweed. It is native to Australia and New Zealand, but it is better known on the west coast of the United States where it is a noxious weed of coastal habitat. This and other Erechtites
species are among the worst invasive weeds in the sensitive habitat of the Channel Islands of California
. E. minima is an annual or short-lived perennial herb growing up to 2 meters in maximum height from a deep taproot
. The leaves are lance-shaped and lined with sharp-pointed teeth, the lowest and longest reaching up to 20 centimeters long. The large, open inflorescence
bears many cylindrical flowers head
s lined with dark-tipped phyllaries
and filled with a tuft of yellow disc florets.
Asteraceae
The Asteraceae or Compositae , is an exceedingly large and widespread family of vascular plants. The group has more than 22,750 currently accepted species, spread across 1620 genera and 12 subfamilies...
known by the common names coastal burnweed and Australian fireweed. It is native to Australia and New Zealand, but it is better known on the west coast of the United States where it is a noxious weed of coastal habitat. This and other Erechtites
Erechtites
Erechtites is a genus of flowering plants in the daisy family known commonly as fireweeds or burnweeds. They are native to the Americas, but some species are widely distributed weeds. Some species in this genus are treated as members of Senecio by some authors, and several other species are...
species are among the worst invasive weeds in the sensitive habitat of the Channel Islands of California
Channel Islands of California
The Channel Islands of California are a chain of eight islands located in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Southern California along the Santa Barbara Channel in the United States of America...
. E. minima is an annual or short-lived perennial herb growing up to 2 meters in maximum height from a deep taproot
Taproot
A taproot is an enlarged, somewhat straight to tapering plant root that grows vertically downward. It forms a center from which other roots sprout laterally.Plants with taproots are difficult to transplant...
. The leaves are lance-shaped and lined with sharp-pointed teeth, the lowest and longest reaching up to 20 centimeters long. The large, open inflorescence
Inflorescence
An inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a stem that is composed of a main branch or a complicated arrangement of branches. Strictly, it is the part of the shoot of seed plants where flowers are formed and which is accordingly modified...
bears many cylindrical flowers head
Head (botany)
The capitulum is considered the most derived form of inflorescence. Flower heads found outside Asteraceae show lesser degrees of specialization....
s lined with dark-tipped phyllaries
Bract
In botany, a bract is a modified or specialized leaf, especially one associated with a reproductive structure such as a flower, inflorescence axis, or cone scale. Bracts are often different from foliage leaves. They may be smaller, larger, or of a different color, shape, or texture...
and filled with a tuft of yellow disc florets.