Present on Pacific Islands?  yes

Primarily a threat at high elevations?  no

Other Latin names:  Ethulia sparganophora L; Sparganophoros sparganophora (L.) C. Jeffrey

Common name(s): [more details]

French: oreille-mouton

Spanish: yerba de faja

Habit:  herb

Description: 

Genus: "Erect herbs with sessile or petiolate alternate leaves; flowering heads homogamous, discoid, small, sessile, clustered in leaf axils, the phyllaries 3- or 4-seriate, the receptacle naked; flowers tubular, 3- or 4-lobed, perfect, the anther bases sagittate with acuminate lobes, the style branches subulate; achenes oblong, 3- or 4-angled, the pappus a short, tubular, cartilaginous crown of 3 coalescent scales"  (Smith, 1991; p. 259).

Species:  "A coarse succulent herb 30-60 cm high...; flowers white, sometimes, like the styles, tinged with pale to deep blue"  (Smith, 1991; p. 259).

Habitat/ecology:  In Fiji, "a naturalized weed at elevations up to about 150 m on rocky shores of rivers, along roadsides, and in pastures, usually in damp places" (Smith, 1991; p. 259).  "Occasional on streamsides and other wet places in central Upolu" (Whistler, 1988; 12).

Propagation:  Seed

Native range:  "Tropical America and the West Indies, now adventive in tropical Africa, Indian Ocean islands, southeastern Asia, Malesia, and into the Pacific"  (Smith, 1991; p. 259).

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	Ovalau Island	introduced invasive	Smith, Albert C. (1991) (p. 259) Voucher cited: Smith 7394
Fiji Fiji Islands	Vanua Levu Island	introduced invasive	Smith, Albert C. (1991) (p. 259) Vouchers cited: DA 5766, DA 11531, Bierhorst F189
Fiji Fiji Islands	Viti Levu Island	introduced invasive	Smith, Albert C. (1991) (p. 259) Vouchers cited: Greenwood 1107, DA 7504, DA 10447, DA 14039
Samoa Western Samoa Islands	Western Samoa Islands		Whistler, W. A. (1988) (p. 12)

Pacific Rim
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
Costa Rica Costa Rica	Costa Rica (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)
Guatemala Guatemala	Guatemala (Republic of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2011)
Honduras Honduras	Honduras (Republic of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2011)
Mexico Mexico	Mexico (United Mexican States)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2011)
Nicaragua Nicaragua	Nicaragua (Republic of)	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)
Singapore Singapore	Singapore (Republic of)	introduced invasive	Chong, Kwek Yan/Tan, Hugh T. W./Corlett, Richard T. (2009) (p. 82) Naturalised

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

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

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

References:

Chong, Kwek Yan/Tan, Hugh T. W./Corlett, Richard T. 2009. A checklist of the total vascular plant flora of Singapore: native, naturalised and cultivated species. Raffles Museum of Biodiversity Research, National University of Singapore. 273 pp.

Smith, Albert C. 1991. Flora Vitiensis nova: a new flora of Fiji. National Tropical Botanical Garden, Lawai, Kauai, Hawaii. Volume 5. 626 pp.

Swarbrick, John T. 1997. Weeds of the Pacific Islands. Technical paper no. 209. South Pacific Commission, Noumea, New Caledonia. 124 pp.

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.

Whistler, W. A. 1988. Checklist of the weed flora of western Polynesia. Technical Paper No. 194, South Pacific Commission, Noumea, New Caledonia. 69 pp.