Tanacetum parthenium (L.) Schultz-Bip., Asteraceae

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Present on Pacific Islands?  yes

Primarily a threat at high elevations?  no

Other Latin names:  Chrysanthemum parthenium (L.) Bernh.; Chrysanthemum praealtum Vent.; Leucanthemum parthenium (L.) Gren. & Godr.; Matricaria parthenium L.

Common name(s): [more details]

English: feverfew

French: pyrèthre doré

Spanish: Santa Maria, altamisa, piretro de jardín

Habit:  herb

Description:  "Perennial or annual, pungent aromatic herbs, with many, ± puberulous, striate-angled, erect, 20-60 (-80) cm tall, densely leafy stems from ± woody rootstock with fibrous roots. Leaves radical or cauline, punctate glandular on both sides, usually yellowish-green, on slender, canaliculate, 2.5-8 cm long petioles, laminas ovate-oblong, 2-7 (-8) cm long, 1.5-5 cm broad, 1-2-pinnatisect to pinnatipartite into obtuse or subacute ultimate segments, the upper leaves reduced gradually in size, on shot petioles or sessile, glabrous or sparsely to moderately pubescent. Capitula radiate, heterogamous, few to several, up to 20 (-30) on 2-3.5 cm long peduncles, in terminal dense corymbs borne on 2-13 (-15) cm long floral axis. Involucre hemispherical, 2-3-seriate, phyllaries imbricate, outer lanceolate, c. 1.5 mm long, inner oblong-oblanceolate, 3-4 (-5) mm long, sparsely pubescent or glabrescent, finely scarious and shortly lacerate at the apices. Receptacle convex or occasionally flat. Ray-florets 5-12, female, with oblong, 5-6 x 2-3 mm, obtusely 3-lobed, white ligules. Disc-florets yellow, with tubular-infundibuliform, 5-toothed, 2.5-3 mm long corolla tube. Cypselas oblong, 1-1.5 mm long, grayish-brown, with 6-8 white ribs and sessile glands, flattish. Pappus coroniform, irregularly lobed, or rarely evenly lobed, 0.1-0.5 mm long"  (Flora of Pakistan online).

Habitat/ecology:  In North America, "disturbed sites, urban areas, roadsides, fields, abandoned plantings; 10-1900 m"  (Flora of North America online).  In Pakistan (native), "waste places, banks of streams, sometimes in forest shade or on rock edges, from sea level to 2500 m"  (Flora of Pakistan online).  In New Zealand, "Waste places, especially roadsides, plantation margins, riverbeds and grassland"  (Webb et al., 1988; p. 175).  "In Chile this species grows in the following environmental conditions:  In shadow, steep slopes facing south or a vegetation cover which filters 40-80% of light"  (Chileflora).

Propagation:  Seed

Native range:  Albania, Bulgaria, former Yugoslavia, Greece; widely 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
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 cultivated	Danton, Philippe/Perrier, Christophe/Martinez Reyes, Guido (2006) (p. 558)
Ecuador (Galápagos Islands) Santa Cruz Group	Santa Cruz Island	introduced cultivated	Charles Darwin Foundation (2008)
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	Maui Island	introduced invasive cultivated	Wagner, Warren L./Herbst, Derral R./Sohmer, S. H. (1999) (p. 286) As. Chrysanthemum parthenium (L.) Bernh. "Reported as escaped".
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	O‘ahu Island		Bishop Museum (U.S.A. Hawaii. Honolulu.) (1985) (voucher ID: BISH 497660) Taxon name on voucher: Tanacetum parthenium (L.) Schultz-Bip.
New Caledonia New Caledonia Archipelago	Île Grande Terre	introduced cultivated	MacKee, H. S. (1994) (p. 33) As. Chrysanthemum parthenium (L.) Bernh.

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 (2013) "Occasionally naturalized on roadsides and as a garden weed".
British Columbia (province of Canada) Province of British Columbia	Canada (British Columbia)	introduced	Flora of North America Editorial Committee, eds. (2013)
Japan Japan	Japan	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. 175)
South America (Pacific rim) South America (Pacific rim)	Chile (Republic of)	introduced	Belov, Michail (2013)
United States (west coast) United States (west coast states)	USA (Oregon)	introduced	Flora of North America Editorial Committee, eds. (2013)
United States (west coast) United States (west coast states)	USA (California)	introduced	U.S. Dept. Agr., Nat. Res. Cons. Serv. (2013)
United States (west coast) United States (west coast states)	USA (Washington)	introduced	Flora of North America Editorial Committee, eds. (2013)

Also reported from
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
Canada Canada	Canada	introduced	Flora of North America Editorial Committee, eds. (2013) Ontario
United States (continental except west coast) United States (other states)	United States (other states)	introduced	Flora of North America Editorial Committee, eds. (2013)

Control:  If you know of control methods for Tanacetum parthenium, please let us know.