WildBristol.uk - Discovering Wildlife in Bristol

Widespread and fairly frequent in the South particularly in Urban areas. It is increasing. Habitat includes: well-drained, open and disturbed ground, such as waste land, railway-sides and docks, chiefly around towns. It also occurs as a wool casual. Growing habit: Annual. Flowers: July to October. Height: Up to 1.5 m. Other names include: Tall Fleabane, Broad-leaved Fleabane, Fleabane, White Horse-weed, Sumatran Fleabane, Conyza sumatrensis (old name). ID: The Inflorescence is pyramidal, and the pappus is yellowish-white. The phyllaries are grey-ish green, hairy and they may be minutely red-tipped. C. bonariensis often has conspicuously red-tipped phyllaries. Both species have curved marginal hairs on proximal (end closest to leaf-stalk) region of leaves; Canadian and Bilbao's have straight hairs in this region. First recorded in Guernsey in 1961. It was found naturalised in S. Essex in 1974 and was well established in the London area by 1984. It is spreading rapidly and was first recorded in Ireland in 1990. It is native to South America.