Cosmos caudatus H.B.K., Asteraceae

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Present on Pacific Islands?  yes

Primarily a threat at high elevations?  no

Common name(s): [more details]

English: cosmos

Habit:  herb

Description: 

Genus: "Annual or perennial herbs with opposite leaves; flowering heads heterogamous, radiate, mediuim-sized, solitary or in loose corymbiform clusters, long-pedunculate, the phyllaries in 2 series, connate at base, the outer ones herbaceous, the inner ones membranous, longitudinally brown-orange- or purple-striate, the receptacle with flat or somewhat concave, narrowly oblong, acute paleae; ray flowers in 1 series, usually 5 or 8, neuter, the limb of the corolla obovate, entire or dentate at apex; disk flowers numerous, perfect, fertile, the corolla tubular, 5-lobed, the anther bases entire, subsagittate, or auriculate, the style branches flattened distally and outwardly densely tufted, with the tip acute or sagittate or more commonly ending in an apiculate awnlike appendage; achenes linear-fusiform, more or less quadrangular, compressed, commonly beaked, the pappus generally of 2-4 stiff, retrorsely barbed awns from the summit of the achinial beak" (Smith, 1991; p. 283).

Species:  "Coarse herb 0.3-2 m high."  (Smith, 1991)."Pales acute or obtuse; outer involucral bracts linear-lanceolate, acute, inner ones oblong or oblong-lanceolate, obtuse or acute.  Petiole 1-7 cm; leaflets or leaf-segments linear or lanceolate, with finely ciliate margins, glabrous, 2-8 mm wide.  Achenes, especially the central ones, long-beaked; beak with obliquely patent bristles, with 2-3 apical awns.  Ligule of marginal flowers reddish or violet, 1-1 1/2 cm by c. 1/2 cm; peduncles 5-22 cm; achenes glabrous or thinly shortly hairy, 1-3 cm long.  Stem glabrous or thinly hairy; leaves 3-4-pinnate or 3-4-pinnatipartite, 4-20 cm (petiole disregarded) by 3-15 cm; leaflets or segments 2-8 mm wide."  (Backer and Bakhuizen van den Brink, 1965; pp. 413-414).

Habitat/ecology:  In Fiji, "occurring from sea level to about 200 m, sometimes cultivated but frequently naturalized as a weed in waste places and along roadsides"  (Smith, 1991; p. 283).

Propagation:  Seed

Native range:  West Indies and Central America, widely cultivated and sometimes naturalized (Smith, 1991; p. 283). Mexico, Central America, Venezuela, Colombia; cultivated and 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
Fiji Fiji Islands	Lakemba Island	introduced invasive cultivated	Smith, Albert C. (1991) (p. 284) Voucher cited: Garnock-Jones 907
Fiji Fiji Islands	Vanua Levu Island	introduced invasive cultivated	Smith, Albert C. (1991) (p. 284) Voucher cited: DA 12958, DA 10499
Fiji Fiji Islands	Viti Levu Island	introduced invasive cultivated	Smith, Albert C. (1991) (p. 284) Vouchers cited: Greenwood 169, DA 10283, DA 10184, DA 11321, DA 11347, DA 9539, DA 12110
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	Hawai‘i (Big) Island	introduced cultivated	Wagner, Warren L./Herbst, Derral R./Sohmer, S. H. (1999) (p. 242)
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	O‘ahu Island	introduced	Wester, Lyndon (1992) (p. 128)
Palau Palau (Belau ) (main island group)	Angaur (Ngeaur) Island	introduced invasive	Space, James C./Waterhouse, Barbara/Miles, Joel E./Tiobech, Joseph/Rengulbai, Kashgar (2003) (p. 103) Cosmos sp.
Palau Palau (Belau ) (main island group)	Babeldaob Island	introduced invasive	Space, James C./Waterhouse, Barbara/Miles, Joel E./Tiobech, Joseph/Rengulbai, Kashgar (2003) (p. 100) Cosmos sp.
Palau Palau (Belau ) (main island group)	Koror (Oreor) Island	introduced invasive	Space, James C./Waterhouse, Barbara/Miles, Joel E./Tiobech, Joseph/Rengulbai, Kashgar (2003) (p. 96) Cosmos sp.
Papua New Guinea Bismarck Archipelago	Bismarck Archipelago	introduced invasive cultivated	Peekel, P. G. [translated by E. E. Henty] (1984) (p. 565) Cultivated and half-wild.
Papua New Guinea Papua New Guinea (eastern New Guinea Island)	Papua New Guinea (eastern New Guinea Island)	introduced invasive	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2013) Naturalized
Philippines Philippine Islands	Philippine Islands	introduced invasive	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2013) Naturalized
Philippines Philippine Islands	Philippine Islands	introduced invasive	Merrill, Elmer D. (1923) (p. 614) A common weed in open waste places, fallow lands, etc., at low and medium altitudes.

Pacific Rim
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
Australia Australia (continental)	Australia (continental)		Holm, Leroy/Pancho, Juan V./Herberger, James P./Plucknett, Donald L. (1979) (p. 101)
Central America Central America (Pacific rim)	Costa Rica (Republic of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2013)
Central America Central America (Pacific rim)	El Salvador (Republic of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2013)
Central America Central America (Pacific rim)	Guatemala (Republic of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2013)
Central America Central America (Pacific rim)	Honduras (Republic of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2013)
Central America Central America (Pacific rim)	Nicaragua (Republic of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2013)
Central America Central America (Pacific rim)	Panama (Republic of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2013)
Indonesia Indonesia	Indonesia (Republic of)	introduced invasive cultivated	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2013) Naturalized
Malaysia Malaysia	Malaysia (country of)	introduced cultivated	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2013)
Mexico Mexico	Mexico (United Mexican States)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2013)
South America (Pacific rim) South America (Pacific rim)	Colombia	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2013)
South America (Pacific rim) South America (Pacific rim)	Ecuador (Republic of) (continental)	introduced invasive	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2013) Naturalized
South America (Pacific rim) South America (Pacific rim)	Perú (Republic of)	introduced invasive	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2013) Naturalized

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	introduced invasive	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2013) Naturalized
Mauritius Mautitius Islands (Mauritius and Rodrigues)	Mauritius Island	introduced invasive	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2013) Naturalized
Seychelles Seychelles Islands	Seychelles Islands	introduced	Invasive Species Specialist Group (2017)

Also reported from
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
United States (continental except west coast) United States (other states)	USA (Florida)	introduced invasive	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2013) Naturalized

Control:  If you know of control methods for Cosmos caudatus, please let us know.