Adenostemma platyphyllum Cass., Asteraceae

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Present on Pacific Islands?  yes

Primarily a threat at high elevations?  no

Other Latin names:  Adenostemma lavenia (L.) Kuntze

Common name(s): [more details]

Chamorro: bulak-manuk, chaguan-chiba, chaguan-manuk

English: adenostemma, clubwort

Spanish: mama Juana, tía Juana

Habit:  herb

Description:  "Coarse, erect annual to about 1 m tall, the stem subglabrous to evidently hirsute-puberulent, at least above, with loose or spreading, multicellular hairs; leaves relatively large and soft, glabrous or inconspicuously hairy, largest ones (commonly borne near or above middle of plant) with ovate or elliptic to more often (at least on vigorous plants) deltoid to subcordate or subhastate blade 5-15 cm long, 3-15 cm wide, with evidently toothed to subentire margins, on a more or less evident, often broadly winged petiole; uppermost leaves sometimes alternate; inflorescence openly branched and nearly naked, with more or less numerous, rather small heads on slender peduncles mostly 1-2 cm long; involucre 3-5 mm high, its bracts herbaceous, not much if at all imbricate, rough-puberulent and often somewhat glandular (as also the peduncles), oblong or oblong-spatulate, broadly rounded distally, tending to be connate toward base; disk 508 mm wide; styles white like the hairy or glandular-hairy corolla; achenes short-clavate, densely stipitate-glandular or glandular-warty, about 2.5 mm long; pappus members 0.5-1 mm long, obviously thickened above middle"  (Wiggins & Porter, 1971; pp. 309-310).

Habitat/ecology:  In New Guinea, "a plant of wet situations; streamsides, ditches, old gardens, sometimes troublesome in badly-drained pasture. From low altitudes to 2000 m" (Henty & Pritchard, 1975; p. 62). In Tonga, "occasional... as a waste-area weed" (Yuncker, 1959; p. 266). Moist uplands in the Galápagos Islands (McMullen, 1999; p. 247). On Guam, "along shady water-courses in the southern part of the islands" (Stone, 1970; pp. 579-580).

Propagation:  Sticky awns atop achenes cling to clothing and the fur of animals (McMullen, 1999; p. 247).

Native range:  A pantropical weed (Wiggins & Porter, 1971; pp. 309-310).

Presence:

Pacific
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
Ecuador (Galápagos Islands) Isabela Group	Isabela Island	introduced invasive cultivated	Charles Darwin Foundation (2008)
Ecuador (Galápagos Islands) Isabela Group	Volcán Sierra Negra, Isabela Island	introduced invasive cultivated	Charles Darwin Foundation (2008)
Ecuador (Galápagos Islands) Pinta Group	Pinta Island	introduced invasive cultivated	Charles Darwin Foundation (2008)
Ecuador (Galápagos Islands) San Cristóbal Group	San Cristóbal Island	introduced invasive cultivated	Charles Darwin Foundation (2008)
Ecuador (Galápagos Islands) Santa Cruz Group	Santa Cruz Island	introduced invasive cultivated	Charles Darwin Foundation (2008)
French Polynesia Society Islands	Raiatea (Havai) Island		Welsh, S. L. (1998) (pp. 68-69) Vouchers cited: Fosberg & Sachet 63321, Moore 398, BRY 26485
French Polynesia Society Islands	Tahiti Island		Welsh, S. L. (1998) (pp. 68-69)
Guam Guam Island	Guam Island	probably native	Stone, Benjamin C. (1970) (pp. 579-580)
Papua New Guinea Papua New Guinea (eastern New Guinea Island)	Papua New Guinea (eastern New Guinea Island)	invasive	Henty, E. E./Pritchard, G. H. (1975) (p. 62) From low altitudes to 2000 m.
Tonga Tongatapu Group	Tongatapu Island	introduced invasive	Yuncker, T. G. (1959) (p. 266) Cited: Moseley.
Tonga Vava‘u Group	Vava‘u Island	introduced invasive	Yuncker, T. G. (1959) (p. 266) Cited: Crosby.

Pacific Rim
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
China China	Hong Kong	native	Wu, Te-lin (2001) (p. 273) As Adenostemma lavenia (L.) Kuntze
Colombia Colombia	Colombia (Republic of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2011)
Ecuador (Mainland) Ecuador	Ecuador (Republic of) (continental)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2011)
Panama Panama	Panama (Republic of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2011)
Perú Perú	Perú (Republic of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2011)

Additional information:
Additional online information about Adenostemma platyphyllum is available from the Hawaiian Ecosystems at Risk project (HEAR).

Information about Adenostemma platyphyllum as a weed (worldwide references) may be available from the Global Compendium of Weeds (GCW).

Taxonomic information about Adenostemma platyphyllum may be available from the Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN).

References:

Charles Darwin Foundation. 2008. Database inventory of introduced plant species in the rural and urban zones of Galapagos. Charles Darwin Foundation, Galapagos, Ecuador.

Charles Darwin Research Station. 2005. CDRS Herbarium records.

Henty, E. E./Pritchard, G. H. 1975. Weeds of New Guinea and their control. 2nd edition. Department of Forests, Division of Botany, Botany Bull. No. 7. Lae, Papua New Guinea. 180 pp.

McMullen, C. K. 1999. Flowering plants of the Galápagos. Comstock Pub. Assoc., Ithaca, N.Y. 370 p.

Stone, Benjamin C. 1970. The flora of Guam. Micronesica 6:1-659.

U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. 2011. National Genetic Resources Program. Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN). Online searchable database.

Welsh, S. L. 1998. Flora Societensis: A summary revision of the flowering plants of the Society Islands. E.P.S. Inc., Orem, Utah. 420 pp.

Wiggins, I. L./Porter, D. M. 1971. Flora of the Galapágos Islands. Stanford University Press. 998 pp.

Wu, Te-lin. 2001. Check List of Hong Kong Plants. Hong Kong Herbarium and the South China Institute of Botany. Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department Bulletin 1 (revised). 384 pp.

Yuncker, T. G. 1959. Plants of Tonga. Bishop Museum Bull. 220. Bishop Museum Press, Honolulu. 343 pp.