Sonchus arvensis 苣蕒菜、苦菜、苦苣菜

Common name: Perennial Sow-thistle
Scientific name: Sonchus arvensis 苣蕒菜、苦菜、苦苣菜*
Genus: Sonchus 苦苣菜屬
Family: Asteraceae or Compositae 菊科, aster , daisy, composite or sunflower family

Remarks*: It is also recorded in HK.

Origin: native

Date: 16th July

239 A tall, erect, rhizomatous perennial, can reach up to 150cm.

243 Stem leaf sessile, with rounded auricles clasping the stem.

244 Rounded auricles clasping the stem.

242 Rounded auricles clasping the stem.

241 Rounded auricles with spiny teeth.

245 Basal leaves more or less pinnately lobed, lobes with spiny teeth (could not been seen above); stem leaf sessile, pinnate lanceolate, lobes with spiny teeth as well.  

240

246 Spiny leaf margin.

247 Inflorescence branches densely covered by yellow glandular hairs.

247_1 Enlarged the photo above to show the yellow glandular hairs.

250 Unopened flower heads.

250_1 Unopened flower head showing the yellow glandular hairs on involucres.

249 Flower stalk and involural bracts are both densely covered by yellow glandular hairs.

251 Flower head 4-5cm across, deep yellow.

Leucanthemum x superbum

Common name: Shasta Daisy
Scientific name: Leucanthemum x superbum
Genus: Leucanthemum 濱菊屬
Family: Asteraceae or Compositae 菊科, aster , daisy, composite or sunflower family

Remarks*: It is a hybrid of L. lacustre and L. maximum 大濱菊、西洋濱菊、大白菊. It is first introduced to cultivation in 1901 and was first recorded from the wild in 1913.

Origin: cultivated hybrid

Date: 28th July

296 Similar to Leucanthemum vulgare 法國菊, 法蘭西菊, 濱菊, 春白菊, 牛眼菊, 瑪格麗特, but much larger and robust. It can reach up to 120cm.

308 Stem smooth with ridges. (vs Stem hairy with ridges in Leucanthemum vulgare 法國菊, 法蘭西菊, 濱菊, 春白菊, 牛眼菊, 瑪格麗特)

306 Stem leaves and stem. The base of the leaves clasping half the stem but with no auricles. (vs several auricles on the base of the stem leaves of Leucanthemum vulgare 法國菊, 法蘭西菊, 濱菊, 春白菊, 牛眼菊, 瑪格麗特)

305

304

307 Underside of the leaf. There are sharply-pointed teeth on the leaves. (vs roundly-toothed leaves (but it is variable) of Leucanthemum vulgare 法國菊, 法蘭西菊, 濱菊, 春白菊, 牛眼菊, 瑪格麗特)

297 Flower head solitary, 60-100mm across. (vs flower head 25-60mm in Leucanthemum vulgare 法國菊, 法蘭西菊, 濱菊, 春白菊, 牛眼菊, 瑪格麗特)

302

302_1 Green phyllaries with a mid-rib and brown edges.

300

309

309_1 Ray florets with white ligules are blooming, with 2-lobed stigma could be clearly seen. Peripheral disk florets are also blooming, with five yellow petals and anther tubes possibly open with pollens attached on the top of them.

310 Left: seed head after flowering.

311 Seed heads and flower heads.

Tripleurospermum maritimum 白夏菊、海洋小白菊

Common name: Sea Mayweed
Scientific name: Tripleurospermum maritimum 白夏菊、海洋小白菊
Genus: Tripleurospermum 三肋果屬
Family: Asteraceae or Compositae 菊科, aster , daisy, composite or sunflower family

Remarks:

Origin: native

Date: 28th July

355 A perennial, more or less prostrate, mat-forming.

354

356

366 Stem red, with ridges.

365

368 

368_1 Leaflets rather succulent. (vs leaflets not succulent in Tripleurospermum inodorum 新疆三肋果, scentless mayweed)

367 Underside of the lef.

367_1 Underside of the leaf. Note the ridges along the edges of the leaf and leaflets.

357 Flower head with both white ray florets and yellow disk florets.

364

364_1 Phyllaries with brown edges.

359

361

363

361_1 Open ray floret (R) with 2-lobed stigma emerged.

359_1 Different stages of disk florets: (1) flower bud with petals not yet open; (2) flower starts to bloom with 5 petals open a little bit with center anther tube could be seen; (3) flower open wider with 5 petals and center closed anther tube clearly seen. (4) flower with center reddish orange anther tube start to split open; (5) flower with anther tube split open, with numerous tiny yellow pollens attached to the top of it; (6) flower with anther tube split open and the inside 2-lobed stigma start protuding from the anther tube.

Pulicaria dysenterica 止痢蚤草、普通蚤草、草地假蚤草

Common name: Common Fleabane
Scientific name: Pulicaria dysenterica 止痢蚤草、普通蚤草、草地假蚤草
Genus: Pulicaria 蚤草屬
Family: Asteraceae or Compositae 菊科, aster , daisy, composite or sunflower family

Remarks*: Fleabane's common name comes from its former use as an incense to drive away insects. From the scientific name of this plant you may guess (quite correctly) that it was used in the past as a treatment for dysentery. Its common name suggests another use of fleabane: to repel fleas.

Origin: Native. 

Date: 16th July

223 An erect, stoloniferous, sparsely hairy, clump-forming perennial, can reach up to 60cm.

234 Stem leaves cordate, clasping.

231 Stem leaves densely, softly hairy; oblong-lanceolate.

232 Stem leaves 3-8cm.

230 Underside of the leaves hairy.

227 

227_1 Lateral view of flower heads showing the green phyllaries.

226 Ray florets (yellow) much longer than involucral bracts (green).

228 Flower head not yet bloom.

224 Flower head 15-30mm across, in loose inflorescence.

225

225_1 Note there are more than 1 row of ray florets (more than 1 row of yellow ligules could be seen above). Ray florets and peripheral tubular florets start blooming.