C. crepidioides is an erect, sparingly branched aromatic annual herb, 40-100 cm tall. Stem rather stout, soft, ribbed, apically with short, thick hairs, lower down glabrescent;branches densely pubescent. Leaves helically arranged, elliptic, oblong or obovate-elliptic, acute or acuminate, pinnately lobed or pinnatifid, irregularly serrate, very thinly pubescent or glabrous, 8-18 x 2-5.5 cm;base tapered and often long-decurrent into the petiole;uppermost leaves smaller, sessile. Heads in terminal, rather small corymbs, homogamous, many-flowered, cylindrical, 13-16 x 5-6 mm, nodding during anthesis, afterwards erect;bracts linear, 0.5-10 cm long, peduncles densely pubescent;outer involucral bracts free, linear, 1-4 mm long, unequal, inner ones subequal, 1-2 seriate, green with dark-brown, acute, papillose tops, lanceolate, 8-12 mm long, thinly hairy, erect during anthesis, pellucid-marginate, cohering into a cylindrical tube, ultimately spreading, reflexed;hypanthium flat, epaleate, alveolate, alveoles with membranous rim. Flowers equal, bisexual;corolla yellow throughout, 9-11 mm long, tubular;tube long, very slender, funnel-shaped, circa 1 mm long, 5-fid limb. Anthers with entire or shallowly incised base, purple, apex acute. Style bifid, arms long, thin, their truncate, more or less penicilliate top tipped by a subulate appendix. Achenes cylindric-linear, ribbed, dark-brown with paler base and apex, thinly pubescent, 2 mm long;pappus hairs numerous, thin, silky, minutely toothed, white, caducous, 9-10 mm long (Kostermans et al., 1987).
Related invasive species
- Crassocephalum crepidioides
Related Farm Practice
- Plantations
- Pastures
- Orchards
- Hosts
C. crepidiodes is an invasive herb included in the Global Compendium of Weeds and classified as one of the most aggressive weeds occurring in tropical and subtropical regions (Randall, 2012). It is a pioneer species with the capability to produce large amounts of hairy wind-dispersed seeds. However, Chen et al. (2009) suggest that seed dispersal ability is limited. Chen et al. (2009) report that the species has only a moderate invasive capacity and that its wide distribution in China possibly correlates with its cultivation.
C. crepidioides may be found infesting young tea plantations (Sastroutomo and Pandegirot, 1988), in rice, taro, coffee, citrus, sweet potatoes, vegetable crops, orchards and pastures.