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Smallflower Galinsoga
Galinsoga parviflora Cav.
Asteraceae (Sunflower Family)
▲ seedling
▲ mature, flowering plants
▲ flowers
Galinsoga parviflora Cav., Smallflower
Galinsoga, Gallant Soldier, Lesser Quickweed, Lesser Peruvian Daisy:
(Bayer Code:
GASPA; US Code GAPA2)
·
South American summer weed that grows 4-24
inches tall; stems are much branched, smooth to slightly hairy
·
Leaves are opposite, lanceolate to
triangular, usually hairless, with hairs around the toothed (or smooth) margins
and along leaf underside veins
·
Flowers about 1/8-1/4 inch diameter, with
usually 5 white (occasionally pink), ray flowers (“petals”) with 2-3 lobes, and
15-50 yellow disk flowers
·
Bracts below inflorescence are in
2-3 rows and
persist on the
inflorescence after flowering
·
Prefers good fertility, moist, well-drained
soils; found in horticultural crops, row crops, pastures, non-crop areas; can
produce multiple-generations of plants per growing season, and abundant seed per
plant—once it goes to seed at a site, it will return for several years, even
with good control of existing plants
·
Very similar
Hairy Galinsoga
(Galinsoga
quadriradiata) can be distinguished by
having slightly broader leaves that are hairy on both surfaces, hairy stems, and
the bracts below base of flowering heads fall off as the seeds mature in the
head
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