GALINSOGA PARVIFLORA
Including Galinsoga quadriradiata
Family:- COMPOSITAE
Common Name:- None
Synonym:- Wiborgia parviflora, Adventina parviflora.
Meaning:- Galinsoga (L) For Don Mariano Martinez de Galinsoga 18th-century
Spanish director of the botanic garden of Madrid.
Parviflora (L) Small-flowered.
General description:- Moderately branched annual.
Stems:-
1) Up to 80 cm. branched, glabrous below.
Leaves:-
1) Opposite. up to 5(-9) cm. narrowly-ovate, acute acuminate. serrate, petiole
shorter than the lamina, slender.
Flowers:-
1) Capitula: subglobose.
2) Involucral bracts: 4 mm, broadly ovate.
3) Peduncles, erecto-patent less than 0·5 mm with few, short patent glandular
hairs.
4) Phyllaries, in 2 rows.
5) Receptacular scales, 3-fid.
5) Ligules, usually 5 c. 1 mm, about as wide as long usually 5, white, 3-toothed.
tubular florets yellow.
Fruit:-
1) Achenes:1-1·5 mm. with short ascending setae.
2) Pappus-scales not aristate.
Key features:-
1) Peduncles with erecto-patent hairs less than 0·5 mm and few, short patent
glandular hairs.
2) Receptacular scales 3-fid.
3) Pappus-scales not aristate.
Habitat:- Probably in thickets and by lagoons at low altitude, on various substrates
including serpentine.
Distribution:- A S. American species, probably first naturalised in Europe in the
late 18th century and is now widespread. But not collected from Greece until 1971.
Previously unrecorded from Crete. Discovered by Marinos Gogolos at Patsos Gorge
2018
Flowering time:- May-Oct.
Photos by:- Marinos Gogolos
SPECIES DESCRIPTION
GALINSOGA QUADRIRADIATA
Synonyms:- None
Common Name Quickweed, Shaggy soldier.
Meaning:- Quadriradiata (Gr) With four rays, (florets).
Resembling Galinsoga parviflora, but differering in the following characters
1) Stem pubescent below.
2) Peduncles with many glandular and eglandular hairs.
3) Receptacular scales mostly simple.
4) Achenes with pappus of acuminate scales
Habitat:- As for Galinsoga parviflora
Distribution:- The inclusion of this species is based on a single collection from
Samos (Snogerup 8943b; LD), where it was growing together with G. parviflora. Also
a South American weed, it was introduced later into Europe and is generally less
common. There are few and very scattered records from the Greek mainland and
Peloponnisos 1).
Previously unrecorded from Crete. Discovered by Giorgos Palimetakis, Jan 2023 in
a Hania, Supermarket carpark. Although an anthropological environment the habitat
suggests it has not been planted or is an escapee, but introduced by more natural
means.
1) "Atlas of the Aegean Flora" Book1, Arne Strid 2016.
Flowering time:- As for Galinsoga parviflora
Photo by:- Giorgos Palimetakis
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