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​​What is Chromolaena?

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Character

AWA

SA

Leaves

 

Fine hairs giving a soft texture, particularly to younger leaves

Grey-green to dark green

Young leaves often purple, especially when growing in sun

Leaves often larger, more prominently ribbed

 

Largely smooth

Yellow-green when growing in sun, dark green in semi-shade

Young leaves often red, especially when growing in sun

Leaves generally smaller

Stems

Hairy, grey-green to dark greenLargely smooth, yellow-green

Flowers

Pale lilac

Broader individual flowers

Bracts with sharp tips, lax around flower-head

 

White

Narrower individual flowers

Bracts with rounded tips, tight around flower-head

 

Crown

Larger plants have underground ‘corm’ structure

 

‘Corm’ less prominent

Growth form

Branches more lax

More upright growth form, especially young growth in dense stands

Ecology

May be more fire resistant, resprouting from crown

May be more adapted to tropical conditions

May be more susceptible to fire. Burning frequently kills large plants

May be more cool tolerant (Kriticos et al., 2005)


Photographic acknowledgements

All AWA chromolaena biotype photos courtesy of Colin Wilson, except for photo of corm from Joshi (2006). All SA chromolaena biotype photos courtesy of
ARC-PPRI.


References

Kriticos, D. J., Yonow, T. and McFadyen, R. E. (2005) The potential distribution of Chromolaena odorata (Siam weed) in relation to climate. Weed Research 45: 246-254.

Joshi, C. (2006) Mapping cryptic invaders and invasibility of tropical forest ecosystems: Chromolaena odorata in Nepal. Dissertation, International Institute for Geo-information Science & Earth Observation, Enschede, the Netherlands.

Zachariades, C., Day, M.D., Muniappan, R. and Reddy, G.V.P. (2009) Chromolaena odorata (Asteraceae) and its biological control. In: Muniappan, R., Reddy, G.V.P., Raman, A. (Eds.), Biological Control of Tropical Weeds using Arthropods. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge. pp. 130-162.