Carduus nutans 飛廉、垂花飛廉

Common name: Musk Thistle
Scientific name: Carduus nutans 飛廉、垂花飛廉
Genus: Carduus 飛廉屬
Family: Asteraceae or Compositae 菊科, aster , daisy, composite or sunflower family

Remarks*: Carduus 飛廉屬 and Cirsium 薊屬 are both called thistles but there are two differences:

(1) look at plants already bearing seeds:
     Pappus hairs 冠毛 (modified calyx) unbranched (simple hairs) -- Carduus;
     Pappus hairs feathery with slender branches from base (feathered hairs) -- Cirsium

(2) Phyllaries 總苞片 (bracts surround the outside of the flowerhead) are spiny, outward-spreading -- Carduus;
     Phyllaries are pressed against the flowerhead. -- Cirsium

Origin: Native. 

Date: 19th July

032 An erect, usually branched thistle, can reach up to 100cm.

047 Stem with white cottony hairs.

045

044 Stem spiny, winged margin ceasing some way (discontinuous) below flowering heads.

042 Spiny leaf.

041

043

048 Underside of the leaf.

046 Flower head, individual florets not yet open.

037 Flowering head spherical. Outer involucral bracts strongly reflexed, lanceolate.

039 Flowering head dropping, usually solitary. 

039_1 Outer involucral bracts contracted abruptly just above base.

040 Underside of the flowering head and the cottony flower stalk.

040_1 Outer involucral bracts contracted abruptly just above base.

035

033 Flowering heads large, 30-60mm across.

034_1 Disk floret showing corolla tube (CT) with 5 petals arranged in a two-lipped position. (1,2,3,4 on the left and 5 on the right hand side). The middle one is the anther tube (A). Style still do not emerge from the anther tube yet and so could not be seen above. 

034_2 Styles (pale pink, on the left of the above photo) are already protruding from the anther tube (white)

Cirsium heterophyllum 堆心薊

Common name: Melancholy Thistle
Scientific name: Cirsium heterophyllum 堆心薊
Genus: Cirsium 薊屬
Family: Asteraceae or Compositae 菊科, aster , daisy, composite or sunflower family

Remarks*:

Origin: Native. 

Date: 7th June

167 A tall perennial thistle, can reach up to 120cm.

173 Stem ribbed.

173_1 Stem covered with cottony hairs.

177 Stem leaves. Basal leaves elliptic-lanceolate, long stalked (could not be seen above).

176 Middle stem leaves green above, margins with soft teeth.

175 Middle stem leaves with broad auricled base clasping stem.

178 Under surface of leaf is white-felted.

179

179_1 Under surface of leaf is densely white-felted (felted: matted with very short interlocked hairs, having the appearance or texture of felt 毛氈).

180 Flowering head large, 3.5-5cm, usually solitary, purple.

169 Base of the flower head.

168

168_1 Involucral bracts more or less glabrous, with a raised mid-rib and are red-tipped.

170

171 Flower head composed of disc florets only.

170_1 Styles (lighter purple) are emerging from the disc florets with 5 petals (darker purple).

Erigeron acris 飛蓬、狼尾巴棵

Common name: Blue Fleabane
Scientific name: Erigeron acris 飛蓬、狼尾巴棵
Genus: Erigeron 飛蓬屬
Family: Asteraceae or Compositae 菊科, aster , daisy, composite or sunflower family

Remarks*: 

Origin: native

Date: 9th Aug

046 A slender, erect, branched annual or biennial, can reach up to 60cm. 1-several flower heads per inflorescence.

049 Stem roughly hairy, reddish.

047 Stem leaves numerous, lanceolate, entire and hairy.

049_1 Stem 4-squared, roughly hairy and reddish. 

057 Underside of the leaf.

056 Flower heads.

053

053_1 Flower bud.

052_1 Lateral view of flower head showing the involucral bracts. Note the red tip of each involucral bracts. 

050 Flower head 12-18mm across.

062

062_1 Ligules of ray florets purplish mauve. Note there are more than 1 row of ray florets (see there are clearly 2 row of ray florets on the top of the flower heads) (vs 1 row of ray florets in Aster 紫菀屬.) and the ligules are slightly notched. Disc florets with 5 yellow petals.

Galinsoga quadriradiata 粗毛牛膝菊、睫毛牛膝菊、粗毛小米菊、辣子草、粗毛辣子草

Common name: Shaggy-soldier
Scientific name: Galinsoga quadriradiata 粗毛牛膝菊、睫毛牛膝菊、粗毛小米菊、辣子草、粗毛辣子草
Genus: Galinsoga 牛膝菊屬、小米菊屬
Family: Asteraceae or Compositae 菊科, aster , daisy, composite or sunflower family

Remarks:

Origin:  Neophyte (established after 1500 AD). It is a native of Central and South America and was first recorded from the wild in 1909.

Date:  9th Aug

014

027

024 Pubescent stem; penduncles with long glandular hairs.

025 More densely pubescent of the lower stem.

024_2 Penduncles with long glandular hairs and few simple hairs. (vs peneduncles with short hairs, a few glandular in Galinsoga parviflora 牛膝菊, 小米菊, 辣子草, 向陽花, 珍珠草, 銅錘草, gallant-soldier)

024_3 Stem more densely pubescent. (Note there are fewer glandular hairs in stem than in penduncle.) (vs stem sparsely hairy  in Galinsoga parviflora  牛膝菊, 小米菊, 辣子草, 向陽花, 珍珠草, 銅錘草, gallant-soldier)

025_1 Lower stem are even more densely pubescent. (Note no glandular hairs could be seen here.)

018

015 Leaves simple, opposite, ovate and stalked.

015_1 Hairs on the upper surface and the margin of the leaf.

026

026_1 Hairs on the veins and underside of the leaf.

022

021

024_1 Side view of the flower head showing the involucral bracts and the peduncle.

022_2 Front view of the flower head. Note the middle disc florets do not open yet. Those opened disc florets have 5 petals. Those white petals are the ligules of the ray florets.

021_2 Note the two ray florets on the left and left bottom of the flower head above, they are blooming, each with a 2-lobed stigma.

021_1