Bahia ambrosioides Lag., Asteraceae

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Present on Pacific Islands?  yes

Primarily a threat at high elevations?  yes

Common name(s): [more details]

Spanish: chamiza blanca, manzanilla cimarrona

Habit:  shrub

Description: 

Genus:  "Cabezuelas heterógama, radiada.  Flores perifericas liguladas, fértiles, ♀; las del disco ☿, fértiles.  Invólucro biseriado.  Receptáculo plano, desnudo o alveolado.  Lígulas mas largas que el disco.  Tubo de las corolas del disco papiloso, ± profundamente 5-partido.  Anteras aladas y coramente aflechadas.  Estilo con las brazos lineares.  Aquenios prismáticos, angostados hácia la base.  Vilano de 4-10 escamitas membranosas, desprovistas de nervios.  Arbustitos o yerbas perennes, peludos, con las hojas partidas.  Cabezuelas corimbosas"

Species:  "Arbusto muy ramoso, ± cortamente gladuloso-pubescente.  Hojas numerosas, opuestas, pecioladas, tripartido-bipinadas con los segmentos de ancho variable, de 2-3 cm de largo.  Las ramas concluyen en corimbos de cabezuelas largamente pedunculadas.  Invólucro de ca. 9 hojuelas cuneado-oblongas, obtusas o un tanto agudas.  Lígulas 5-9, del doble largo del disco, de color blanco lijeramente amarillento.  Diámetro del disco amarillo de 8-10 mm.  Aquenios cilindrico-prismáticos, cuneado-oblongos, ± hirsutos sobre las aristas.  Vilano de 8-10 escamitas cuneadas, obtusas, irregularmente recortadas, de tamaño desigual.  Tallos 0.6-0.8 m"  (Reich, 1896; vol. 4, pp. 116-117).

Habitat/ecology:  "In Chile this species grows in the following environmental conditions:  Low altitude, interior valleys; coastal mountains, 500-2000 m; coastal areas, 0-500 m. Somewhat dry areas where the drought may last 3-5 months, precipitations of 400-800 mm. are concentrated in winter; dry, arid areas, with long drought periods of 6-10 months, precipitations of 100 mm-300 mm. are concentrated in winter. Fully exposed to the sun, level areas or slopes facing north; some shadow, some protection against direct sunlight, some shadow from vegetation, filtering about 20-40% of light  (Chileflora).

Propagation:  Seed

Native range:  Chile (GRIN).

Presence:

Pacific
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
Chile (offshore islands) Juan Fernández Islands	Isla Más Afuera (Alejandro Selkirk Island)	introduced invasive	Atkinson, Rachel/Sawyer, John (2011)
Chile (offshore islands) Juan Fernández Islands	Isla Más Afuera (Alejandro Selkirk Island)	introduced invasive	Danton, Philippe/Perrier, Christophe/Martinez Reyes, Guido (2006) (p. 551)

Pacific Rim
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
Chile (continental) Chile	Chile (Republic of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2011) Antofagasta, Atacama, Coquimbo, Santiago, Valparaiso

Additional information:
Photos and other information from Chileflora.

Additional online information about Bahia ambrosioides is available from the Hawaiian Ecosystems at Risk project (HEAR).

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

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

References:

Atkinson, Rachel/Sawyer, John. 2011. Naturalized species in the Juan Fernández Archipelago, Chile. Unpublished spreadsheet.

Belov, Michail. 2011. Chileflora (online resource).

Danton, Philippe/Perrier, Christophe/Martinez Reyes, Guido. 2006. Nouveau catalogue de la flore vaculaire de l'archipel Juan Fernández (Chile) [Nuevo catálogo de la flora vacular del Archipélago Juan Fernández (Chile)]. Acta Bot. Gallica 153(4):399-587.

Reich, Cárlos. 1896. Flora de Chile. Imprenta Cervantes, Santiago. 6 volumes.

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