Lapsana communis L., Asteraceae

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Present on Pacific Islands?  yes

Primarily a threat at high elevations?  yes

Other Latin names:  Lapsana grandiflora M. Bieb; Lapsana intermedia M. Bieb; Lapsana ramosissima Boiss.

Common name(s): [more details]

English: common nipplewort, nipplewort

French: lampsane commune

Habit:  herb

Description: 

Genus:  "Slender annual or perennial herbs with milky sap; stems usually unbranched in lower part, branched above.  Leaves simple, alternate, entire or lobed.  Heads several to numerous in corymbose or paniculate inflorescences, each head on a long peduncle, florets all of ray type; involucral bracts in 2 series, outer ones few in number and small, inner ones ca. 8, subequal, keeled at base; receptacle naked; florets 8-5 per head, perfect, rays yellow, rarely white; pappus absent.  Achenes fusiform, slightly compressed, with ca. 20 longitudinal ribs".

Species:  "Hirsute to subglabrous annual herbs 1.5-15 dm tall.  Leaves ovate, 2.5-10 cm long, 2-7 cm wide, with a few large teeth or lobes especially toward base, margins dentate, petiolate, becoming sessile above.  Involucre 5-8 mm high, inner bracts linear-oblong, outer bracts ovate to lanceolate.  Achenes 2-5 (-9) mm long, outer ones much longer than inner ones, 18-30-nerved, but 5-6 of them more conspicuous, glabrous"  (Wagner et al., 1999; p. 331).

"Annual herb. Stems erect, branched above, finely ribbed, with fine crisped eglandular hairs especially below, 15-100-(150) cm tall. Leaves glabrous or sparsely to densely hairy; margins ciliate. Rosette and lower stem leaves petiolate, lyrate-pinnatifid; terminal lobe large, broadly ovate to deltoid to orbicular, bluntly dentate, (1.5)-3-8 x (1.5)-3-8 cm; lateral lobes in (0)-1-3 pairs, the distal pair = or < width of terminal lobe, the proximal pairs successively smaller, all dentate. Upper leaves undivided, becoming sessile, linear-lanceolate to ovate, sharply dentate to serrate, smaller than lower leaves. Capitula in diffuse corymbose panicles; peduncles > 2x length of involucre. Involucre 5-8 mm long; bracts glabrous except for ciliate apex, strongly veined or keeled, erecto-patent; outer bracts 1-1.5 mm long. Florets few, c. 1.5x length of involucre; corolla yellow; tube < ligule. Achenes fusiform, glabrous, pale, c. 20-ribbed, 3-5 mm long; pappus 0"  (Webb et al., 1988; p. 337).

Habitat/ecology:  In Hawai‘i, "naturalized in relatively wet, disturbed areas such as disturbed wet forest, 950-3,230 m"  (Wagner et al., 1999; p. 331).  In New Zealand, "roadsides, tracksides, forest margins and under introduced trees, waste land, cultivated land"  (Webb et al., 1988; p. 337).  In North America, "Mesic woods, sheltered waste areas, roadsides, stream banks; 50-1900 m. It is aggressively weedy and often found in shady disturbed sites"  (Flora of North America online).  "In Chile this species grows in the following environmental conditions:   Low altitude, interior valleys; coastal mountains, 500-2000 m; coastal areas, 0-500 m. Humid areas, with almost constant rainfall, short dry periods are possible (generally not longer than 1 month); somewhat dry areas where the drought may last 3-5 months, precipitations of 400-800 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:  Europe and western Asia (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 a Tierra (Robinson Crusoe Island)	introduced invasive	Atkinson, Rachel/Sawyer, John (2011)
Chile (offshore islands) Juan Fernández Islands	Isla Más a Tierra (Robinson Crusoe Island)	introduced invasive	Danton, Philippe/Perrier, Christophe/Martinez Reyes, Guido (2006) (p. 554)
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. 554)
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	Hawai‘i (Big) Island	introduced invasive	Wagner, Warren L./Herbst, Derral R./Sohmer, S. H. (1999) (p. 331)
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	Maui Island	introduced invasive	Wagner, Warren L./Herbst, Derral R./Sohmer, S. H. (1999) (p. 331) Voucher cited: Brigham et al. s.n. (BISH)
New Zealand (offshore islands) Kermadec Islands	Kermadec Islands	introduced invasive	Webb, C. J./Sykes, W. R./Garnock-Jones, P. J. (1988) (p. 337)

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)	New South Wales	introduced invasive	National Herbarium of New South Wales (2011) "Grows on roadsides and cultivated areas".
Canada Province of British Columbia	Canada (British Columbia)	introduced	Flora of North America Editorial Committee, eds. (2011)
Canada Canada	Canada (country)	introduced	Flora of North America Editorial Committee, eds. (2011) Ont., Que., Sask.
Chile (continental) Chile	Chile (Republic of)	introduced	Belov, Michail (2011)
Japan Japan	Japan (country)	introduced	Mito, Toshikazu/Uesugi, Tetsuro (2004) (p. 190)
New Zealand New Zealand	New Zealand (country)	introduced invasive	Webb, C. J./Sykes, W. R./Garnock-Jones, P. J. (1988) (p. 337)
United States (west coast) United States (west coast states)	USA (Oregon)	introduced	Flora of North America Editorial Committee, eds. (2011)
United States (west coast) United States (west coast states)	USA (California)	introduced	Flora of North America Editorial Committee, eds. (2011)
United States (west coast) United States (west coast states)	USA (Washington)	introduced	Flora of North America Editorial Committee, eds. (2011)

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)	United States (other states)	introduced	U.S. Dept. Agr., Nat. Res. Cons. Serv. (2011)

Additional information:
Photos and other information from Chileflora.
Fact sheet from the U.S. National Park Service.

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

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

Taxonomic information about Lapsana communis 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.

Flora of North America Editorial Committee, eds. 2011. Flora of North America North of Mexico (online edition).

Mito, Toshikazu/Uesugi, Tetsuro. 2004. Invasive alien species in Japan: the status quo and the new regulation for prevention of their adverse effects. Global Environmental Research 8(2)/2004: 171-191.

National Herbarium of New South Wales. 2011. PlantNet: New South Wales Flora online. The Plant Information Network System of the Botanic Gardens Trust Version 2.0. Online resource.

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

U.S. Dept. Agr., Nat. Res. Cons. Serv. 2011. The PLANTS Database. National Plant Data Center, Baton Rouge, LA 70874-4490 USA.

Wagner, Warren L./Herbst, Derral R./Sohmer, S. H. 1999. Manual of the flowering plants of Hawaii. Revised edition. Bernice P. Bishop Museum special publication. University of Hawai‘i Press/Bishop Museum Press, Honolulu. 1919 pp. (two volumes).

Webb, C. J./Sykes, W. R./Garnock-Jones, P. J. 1988. Flora of New Zealand, Volume IV: Naturalised pteridophytes, gymnosperms, dicotyledons. Botany Division, DSIR, Christchurch. 1365 pp.