Conyza aegyptiaca (L.) Aiton, Asteraceae

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Present on Pacific Islands?  yes

Primarily a threat at high elevations?  no

Other Latin names:  Erigeron aegyptiacus L.

Habit:  herb

Description:  "Annual erect herb up to 80 cm high. Stems rather thick, branching, striate, densely villous. Lower cauline leaves withering, the median many, obovate to oblong-lanceolate, pinnatifid to coarsely toothed tapering to amplexicaul base, densely long-villous, appearing grayish green. Inflorescence corymbose with long branches; heads terminal on peduncles 1-5 cm long, villous, about 1.5cm wide, with abundant prominent white or sordid pappus; involucral bracts many,4-seriate, linear, long-attenuate, hyaline-margined, green and densely villous along middle; ray flowers many, pistillate, with long capillary corolla half as long as the style, hidden in the abundant pappus, the disc flowers relatively few, fertile, with tubular enlarged 5-fid corolla, puberulent; receptacle depressed-globose about 2.5 mm wide. Achenes oblong, 0.5 mm long; pappus 1-seriate, the hairs coherent at base" (Walker, 1976; p. 1025).

Habitat/ecology:  A weed of waste places (Walker, 1976; p. 1025). In Papua New Guinea, "a weed of roadsides and gardens; also in natural habitats - grassland, earthslips" (Henty & Pritchard, 1975; p. 66).

Propagation:  Seed

Native range:  Africa and south Asia; naturalized elsewhere (GRIN).

Presence:

Pacific
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
New Caledonia Îles Loyauté (Loyalte Islands)	Îles Loyauté (Loyalty Islands)	introduced invasive	Tassin, Jacques (2005)
New Caledonia New Caledonia Archipelago	Île Grande Terre	introduced invasive	Tassin, Jacques (2005)
New Caledonia New Caledonia Archipelago	Île Grande Terre	introduced invasive	MacKee, H. S. (1994) (p. 33) Vouchers cited: Védel s.n., Pancher 406, Pancher 459, Vieillard 2818, Vieillard 2832, Balansa 13
New Caledonia New Caledonia Archipelago	Île des Pins (Isle of Pines)	introduced invasive	Tassin, Jacques (2005)
New Caledonia New Caledonia Archipelago	Île des Pins (Isle of Pines)	introduced invasive	MacKee, H. S. (1994) (p. 33) Voucher cited: Pancher 459
Papua New Guinea Papua New Guinea (eastern New Guinea Island)	Papua New Guinea (eastern New Guinea Island)	introduced invasive	Henty, E. E./Pritchard, G. H. (1975) (p. 66) From 1200-3000 m, widely spread but not yet common.

Pacific Rim
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
Japan Ryukyu Islands	Ryukyu Islands	introduced invasive	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2013) Naturalized
Taiwan Taiwan Island	Taiwan Island	native	Ching-I Peng, ed. (2013) "Coastal regions and waste ground, in sunny situations, not collected for more 70 years".

Indian Ocean
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
La Réunion (France) La Réunion Island	La Réunion Island	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2013)
Mauritius Mautitius Islands (Mauritius and Rodrigues)	Mauritius Island	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2013)

Control:  If you know of control methods for Conyza aegyptiaca, please let us know.