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Australian bornweed, coastal burnweed, tooth coast burnweed

American burnweed, fireweed, pilewort

Habit Annuals or perennials, (50–)100–200 cm (sparsely and unevenly tomentose, glabrescent). Annuals, (50–)100–200 cm (glabrous or unevenly coarse-tomentose, sometimes ± succulent).
Taproots

with branching lateral roots.

with tufts of fibrous roots.

Stems

1, erect.

1(–2+), erect.

Leaves

evenly distributed (proximal often withering before flowering); indistinctly petiolate (bases often weakly clasping);

blades lanceolate to narrowly lanceolate, (3–)7–20 × 1–4 cm, margins sharply and evenly toothed (not lobed or pinnatifid).

evenly distributed (proximal often withering before flowering); indistinctly petiolate or subsessile;

blades ovate-lanceolate to lanceolate, (3–)6–20 × (1–)2–8 cm, margins subentire to serrate or weakly lobed (distal leaves clasping, bractlike).

Involucres

cylindric or turbinate, 4–7 mm.

urceolate or obconic, 10–17 mm.

Receptacles

3–5 mm diam.

(disclike, conspicuously expanded when fresh) 5–12 mm diam.

Phyllaries

usually 8.

usually 21.

Heads

(40–)80–200 in open, corymbiform arrays (or arrays of clusters).

2–20(–40) in ± corymbiform arrays.

Cypselae

1.5–2 mm, usually puberulent in lines along relatively narrow ribs, sometimes glabrous.

2.3–3 or 4–5 mm, nerves 10–12 or 16–20, faces puberulent between nerves or glabrous.

2n

= 60.

Erechtites minimus

Erechtites hieraciifolius

Phenology Flowering summer–early fall.
Habitat Disturbed, coastal sites
Elevation 0–200 m (0–700 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
CA; OR; WA; Pacific Islands (New Zealand); Australia [Introduced in North America]
[WildflowerSearch map]
from FNA
AR; CT; DE; FL; GA; IA; IL; IN; KS; KY; LA; MA; MD; ME; MI; MN; MO; MS; NC; NE; NH; NJ; NY; OH; OK; PA; RI; SC; SD; TN; TX; VT; WA; WI; WV; NB; NS; ON; PE; South America; West Indies; Pacific Islands (New Zealand); Australia
[WildflowerSearch map]
Discussion

The type of Erechtites prenanthoides (A. Richard) de Candolle (a name sometimes misapplied to plants of E. minimus) is conspecific with the type of E. quaridentata (Labillardière) de Candolle.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

Varieties 3 (2 in the flora).

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

Key
1. Stems and leaves dry or turgid, not succulent; receptacles 5–8 mm diam.; cypselae 2.3–3 mm, nerves 10–12 (widespread)
var. hieraciifolius
1. Stems and leaves succulent; receptacles 9–12+ mm diam.; cypselae 4–5 mm, nerves 16–20 (coastal marshes; Massachusetts to New Jersey)
var. megalocarpus
Source FNA vol. 20, p. 604. FNA vol. 20, p. 603.
Parent taxa Asteraceae > tribe Senecioneae > Erechtites Asteraceae > tribe Senecioneae > Erechtites
Sibling taxa
E. glomeratus, E. hieraciifolius
E. glomeratus, E. minimus
Subordinate taxa
E. hieraciifolius var. hieraciifolius, E. hieraciifolius var. megalocarpus
Synonyms Senecio minimus Senecio hieraciifolius
Name authority (Poiret) de Candolle: in A. P. de Candolle and A. L. P. P. de Candolle, Prodr. 6: 437. (1838) (Linnaeus) Rafinesque ex de Candolle: in A. P. de Candolle and A. L. P. P. de Candolle, Prodr. 6: 294. (1838)
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