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Erigeron karvinskianus

Perennial herb, frequently creeping and fragile, with small white or pink flowers that looks like a small daisy.

Scientific name: Erigeron karvinskianus DC.

Common names: Karwinsky’s fleabane, daisy fleabane, daisy, Latin American fleabane, Mexican daisy, seasurface daisy

Family: Asteraceae (Compositae)

Status in Portugal: invasive species (listed in the  Decreto-Lei nº 92/2019, de 10 july)

Risk Assessment score: 20 | Value obtained according to a protocol adapted from the Australian Weed Risk Assessment (Pheloung et al. 1999), by Morais et al. (2017), according to which values above 13 mean that the species has risk of having invasive behavior in the Portuguese territory | Updated on 30/09/2017.

Synonymy: Erigeron mucronatus DC.

Last update: 11/07/2021

Family: 
Asteraceae (Compositae)
Appearence: 
Grasses and herbs

How to recognise it

Perennial herb of 15-50 cm, ramified, sub-ligneous on the base and a fragile look.

Leaves: with an obovate to cuneate base, with a short petiole, generally with 3 lobes; upper leaves linear–lanceolate, entire.

Flowers: arranged in small capitula (with less than 1 cm diameter) with thin and long peduncles (3-8 cm); marginal ligulate flowers, hairlike, white or pink on the upper and purple on the lower surface; yellow flower disks.

Fruits: cypselas, where some have a brownish pappus with long hairs.

Flowering: February to September.

 

Similar species

There are several similar species of “white and yellow daisies”. However, E. karvinskianushas smaller capitula than most other species. One of the most similar species is Bellis annua L. (annual daisy), which is annual with only 5-12 cm, normally leaves that are broader and cypselas without pappus.

 

Characteristics that aid invasion

It propagates by seed producing many seeds, which are easily dispersed by the wind.

It also propagates vegetatively from rhizomes.

Native distribution area

Mexico and tropical South America.

 

Distribution in Portugal

Mainland Portugal (Minho, Trás-os-Montes, Douro Litoral, Beira Alta, Beira Baixa, Beira Litoral, Estremadura, Ribatejo, Alto Alentejo), Azores archipelago (all islands), Madeira archipelago (Madeira island).

 

Geographic areas where there are records of Erigeron karvinskianus

Other places where the species is invasive

Europe (Spain), New Zealand, western USA (California).

 

Introduction reasons

For ornamental reasons, continuing to be grown in gardens.

 

Preferential invasion environments

Rupicolous habitat: walls, cracks on rocks and cobblestones; it also grows next to gardened spaces, frequently disturbed, from where it was planted.

Species with an invasive behaviour, mainly in the north of the country.

Impacts on ecossystems

It forms continuous mats that smother of native species when competing for space, water and nutrients.

 

Natura 2000 Network habitats more subject to impacts

– Calcareous rocky slopes with chasmophytic vegetation (8210);
– Siliceous rocky slopes with chasmophitic vegetation (8220).

Controlling an invasive species demands a well-planned management, which includes the determination of the invaded area, identifying the causes of invasion, assessing the impacts, defining the intervention priorities, selecting the adequate control methodologies and their application. Afterwards it is fundamental to monitor the efficiency of the methodologies and recuperation of the intervened area as to perform, whenever necessary, the follow-up control.

The control methodologies used for Erigeron karvinskianus include:

 

Physical control

Hand pulling: preferential methodology. It should be done before fruit maturation. In more compacted substrates, hand pulling should be done in the rainy season as to facilitate the removal of the entire root system. It should be guaranteed that no roots remain in the soil.

 

Chemical control

Foliar application of herbicide. Spray with herbicide (active principle: glyphosate) limiting the exposure as much as possible to the target species.

 

Visit the webpage How to Control for additional and more detailed information about the correct application of these methodologies.

Betancort JAR, Guerra AS, Silva L, Carvalho JA (2008) Erigeron karvinskianus R. Br. In: Silva L, Land EO, Luengo JLR (eds) Flora e fauna terrestre invasora na Macaronésia. Top 100 nos Açores, Madeira e Canárias. Arena, Ponta Delgada, pp. 275-278.

 

 

Global invasive">Invasive species">Species Database (2012) Erigeron karvinskianus. Available: http://www.issg.org/database/species/ecology.asp?si=1278&fr=1&sts=&lang=EN [Retrieved 10/11/2012].

 

 

 

 

Marchante E, Freitas H, Marchante H (2008) Guia prático para a identificação de plantas invasoras de Portugal Continental. Imprensa da Universidade de Coimbra, Coimbra, 183pp.

 

 

 

 

Weedbuster (2012) Erigeron karvinskianus. Available: http://weedbusters.co.nz/weed_info/detail.asp?WeedID=21 [Retrieved 10/11/2012].