Overview
Interesting Facts
Common Names
Click on the language to view common names.
Common Names in Afrikaans:
Mexikaanse Ageratum
Common Names in English:
Ageratum, Blue Billygoat-Weed, Bluemink, Floss Flower, Flossflower, Mexican Ageratum
Common Names in French:
Ageratum Du Mexique
Common Names in German:
Mexikanischer Leberbalsam
Common Names in Spanish:
Agérato
Description
Family Compositae
The largest family of flowering plants , the Compositae (Asteraceae), comprising about 1,100 genera and more than 20,000 species and characterized by many small flowers arranged in a head looking like a single flower and subtended by an involucre of bracts. A head may consist of both ray flowers and disk flowers, as in the sunflower, of disk flowers only, as in the burdock, or of ray flowers only, as in the dandelion.
Genus Ageratum
Annuals
and perennials
, mostly 20-120 cm. Stems often decumbent
(rooting
at proximal
nodes), sparsely to densely branched. Leaves cauline; all or mostly opposite; petiolate
; blades
mostly 1-nerved, deltate to ovate
, or elliptic
to lanceolate, margins
entire or toothed
, faces
glabrous
or ± pilose
, puberulent
, or strigoso-hispid, sometimes gland-dotted. Heads discoid
, in dense to open, cymiform to corymbiform
arrays. Involucres campanulate
, 3-6 mm.
Phyllaries persistent
, 30-40 in 2-3 series, usually 2-nerved, lanceolate, ± equal (often indurate
, margins scarious
). Receptacles conic, epaleate [paleate]. Florets 20-125; corollas white or bluish to lavender, throats
± campanulate (lengths
2 times diams.) ; styles: bases
not enlarged, glabrous, branches ± linear
to clavate
(usually papillose
and dilated
distally). Cypselae prismatic
, 4-5-ribbed, glabrous or sparsely strigoso-hispidulous; pappi persistent, of 5-6 aristate
scales
, or coroniform
, or 0. x
= 10.
Species ca.
40: United
States, Mexico, Central America; 2 species widespread as adventives.[1]
Physical Description
Species Ageratum houstonianum
Annuals
, 30-80 cm (fibrous-rooted). Stems erect
to
decumbent
, sparsely to densely pilose
. Leaf blades deltate
to ovate
, mostly 3-8 × 2.5-4 cm, margins
toothed
, abaxial
faces
sparsely to densely pilose, not evidently gland-dotted. Peduncles
viscid-puberulent, pilose, and stipitate-glandular
. Involucres
ca.
4 × 5-6 mm.
Phyllaries narrowly lanceolate (0.6-1
mm wide), stipitate-glandular, sparsely to densely pilose, eciliate
or inconspicuously ciliate
, tips
gradually tapering, indurate-subulate,
0.8-2 mm. Corollas usually lavender, rarely white. Cypselae
sparsely strigoso-hispidulous; pappi of 5 distinct
, oblong
scales
2-3 mm. 2n = 20. Flowering Jun-Aug. [source]
Ageratum houstonianum is apparently native
to southeastern
Mexico and Central America; the North American plants
are escapes
and naturalized
from cultivars. M.
F. Johnson (1971) observed that
forma isochroum (B
. L. Robinson) M. F. Johnson (type from
the state of Veracruz, Mexico) sometimes may be nearly eglandular
.
[source]
Habit: Forb/herb
Flowers: Bloom Period: July, August, September, October, November. • Flower Color: blue-violet, lavender, near white, pale pink, purple, violet, white
Size/Age/Growth
Size: 6-12" tall.
Habitat
Disturbed sites, mostly coastal; 0-20 m [2].
Typically found at an altitude of 0 to 2,458 meters (0 to 8,064 feet).[3]
Biology
Reproduction
Duration: Annual , Perennial
Growth
Culture: Space 9-12" apart.
Soil: Minimum pH: 5.6 • Maximum pH: 7.5
Sunlight: Sun Exposure: Full Sun .
Temperature: Cold Hardiness: Not Applicable (map)
Taxonomy
- Domain:
Eukaryota
(
)
- Whittaker & Margulis,1978
- eukaryotes
- Kingdom:
Plantae
()
- Haeckel, 1866
- Plants
- Subkingdom:
Viridaeplantae
()
- Cavalier-Smith, 1981
- Phylum:
Tracheophyta
()
- Sinnott, 1935 ex Cavalier-Smith, 1998
- Vascular Plants
- Subphylum:
Euphyllophytina
()
- Class:
Spermatopsida
()
- Brongniart, 1843
- Subclass:
Asteridae
()
- Takhtajan, 1967
- Superorder:
Campanulanae
()
- Takhtajan Ex Reveal, 1992
- Order:
Asterales
()
- Lindley, 1833
- Family:
Compositae
()
- Giseke, 1792, nom. cons., nom. alt.
- Subfamily:
Asteroideae
()
- Tribe:
Eupatorieae
()
- Subtribe:
Ageratinae
()
- Genus:
Ageratum
()
- C. Linnaeus, 1753
- [Greek a, not, and geras, old age, apparently alluding to long-lasting nature of flowers]
- Specific epithet:
houstonianum
- Mill.
- Botanical name: - Ageratum houstonianum Mill.
- Specific epithet:
houstonianum
- Mill.
- Genus:
Ageratum
(
- Subtribe:
Ageratinae
(
- Tribe:
Eupatorieae
(
- Subfamily:
Asteroideae
(
- Family:
Compositae
(
- Order:
Asterales
(
- Superorder:
Campanulanae
(
- Subclass:
Asteridae
(
- Class:
Spermatopsida
(
- Subphylum:
Euphyllophytina
(
- Phylum:
Tracheophyta
(
- Subkingdom:
Viridaeplantae
(
- Kingdom:
Plantae
(
Synonyms
Ageratum conyzoides Linnaeus var. mexicanum (Sims) De Candolle
Notes
Name
Status: Accepted Name
.
Comment: Data Providers: Biological Diversity of the Guiana Shield
,
CONABIO, Caribbean Checklist
, African Flowering Plants
Database
,
SANBI, New Zealand Plant Name Database, Flora
of Japan, Flora Malesiana,
LCR Editor, Flora of Korea, Flora of Taiwan, Govaerts Wor. GCC LSID:
urn
:lsid:compositae.org:names:7C2DCF12-CA34-4CB7-9C03-15CF1CEA0EEE
Last scrutiny: 10-Aug-09
Similar Species
Members of the genus Ageratum
ZipcodeZoo has pages for 31 species, subspecies, varieties, forms, and cultivars in this genus:
A. aromaticum (Fragrant Ageratum) · A. conizoides (Mexican Ageratum) · A. conyzoides (Billy Goat Weed) · A. conyzoides houstonianum (Tropical Whiteweed) · A. conyzoides latifolium (Tropical Whiteweed) · A. corymbosum (Butterfly Mist) · A. houstonianum (Ageratum) · A. houstonianum 'Blue Bouquet' (Ageratum) · A. houstonianum 'Blue Danube' (Ageratum) · A. houstonianum 'Blue Fields' (Ageratum) · A. houstonianum 'Blue Horizon' (Ageratum) · A. houstonianum 'Blue Mink' (Floss Flower) · A. houstonianum 'Blue Puffs' (Blue Puffs Ageratum) · A. houstonianum 'Hawaii Blue' (Ageratum) · A. houstonianum 'Hawaii Royal' (Ageratum) · A. houstonianum 'Hawaii White' (Ageratum) · A. houstonianum 'Lohman's Frost' (Ageratum) · A. houstonianum 'Pacific' (Ageratum) · A. houstonianum 'Redtop' (Ageratum) · A. houstonianum 'Red Sea' (Ageratum) · A. houstonianum 'Southern Cross' (Ageratum) · A. houstonianum 'White Bouquet' (Ageratum) · A. lineare (Palafox) · A. littorale (Cape Sable Ageratum) · A. 'Alto Blue' (Floss Flower) · A. 'Artist Blue' (Artist Blue Ageratum) · A. 'Artist Blue Violet' (Floss Flower) · A. 'Artist Purple' (Ageratum) · A. 'Artist Rose' (Floss Flower) · A.'Hawaii Sky Blue' (Sky Blue Ageratum) · A. 'Island Mist' (Island Mist Ageratum)
More Info
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- Search for Scholarly Articles: Google Scholar
- Search using Scientific Name and Vernacular Names: All the Web | AltaVista Canada | AltaVista | Excite | Google | HotBot | Lycos
- Search using Specialized Databases: GenBank | Medline | Scirus | CISTI/CAL | Agricola Periodicals | Agricola Books
Further Reading
- 1997 IUCN red list of threatened plants Cambridge: IUCN, World Conservation Union, 1998 url p. 146.
- Bulletin of the U.S. Department of Agriculture. [Washington, D.C.?]: Supt. of Docs., G.P.O., 1913-1923. url .
- Compositae newsletter. Columbus, Ohio: Dept. of Botany, Ohio State University, 1975- url p. 102.
- Contributions from the United States National Herbarium 45 2003 Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution Press, 1890- url p. 158, p. 440, p. 492.
- Flora Malesiana. general editor, C.G.G.J. van Steenis. Djakarta: Noordhoff-Kolff, 1950- url p. 602.
- Flora Vitiensis nova: a new Flora of Fiji (spermatophytes only) / Albert C. Smith. Lawaii, Hawaii: Pacific Tropical Botanical Garden, 1979- url p. 296.
- Flora of Guatemala / Dorothy L. Nash, Louis O. Williams; genera contributed by Kenneth M. Becker. .. [et al.]. 24 1976 Chicago, Ill.: Field Museum of Natural History, 1976. url p. 39.
- Flora of the U.S.S.R. [Springfield, Va.: Israel Program for Scientific Translations; 1968- url .
- Memoirs of the American Entomological Society. Philadelphia, American Entomological Society, 1916- url p. 128.
- New illustrated encyclopedia of gardening, unabridged. Edited by T.H. Everett, with contributions from twenty horticulturists and authorities in the United States and Canada. New York, Greystone Press[1964-] url p. 60.
- Novon a journal of botanical nomenclature from the Missouri Botanical Garden. 18 St. Louis, MO: Missouri Botanical Garden, url p. 522.
- Occasional papers of the California Academy of Sciences. San Francisco: California Academy of Sciences, url p. 19.
- Phytologia. Bronx Park, New York, H.A. Gleason and H.N. Moldenke, url p. 114, p. 274, p. 355, p. 36, p. 456.
- Proceedings of the Entomological Society of Washington. Washington, etc.: Entomological Society of Washington url p. 242, p. 641.
- Proceedings of the Hawaiian Entomological Society. Honolulu: Hawaiian Entomological Society url .
- Standardized plant names; a catalogue of approved scientific and common names of plants in American commerce. Salem, Mass., 1923. url p. 8.
- The complete garden, by Albert D. Taylor, assisted by Gordon D. Cooper. Illustrated with fifty full page cuts, four line charts, and nine coloured plates. Garden City, N.Y., Doubleday, Page, 1921. url p. 240, p. 240, p. 241, p. 241, p. 242, p. 242, p. 244, p. 244, p. 264, p. 264, p. 265, p. 265.
- The complete illustrated book of garden magic. Chicago, J.G. Ferguson Pub. Co.[1969] url p. 149, p. 151, p. 152, p. 385.
- Johnson, M. F. 1971. A monograph of the genus Ageratum L. (Compositae-Eupatorieae). Ann. Missouri Bot. Gard. 58: 6-88.
Notes
Contributors
- Brands, S.J. (comp.) 1989-present. The Taxonomicon. Universal Taxonomic Services, Zwaag, The Netherlands. Accessed January 10, 2012.
Data Sources
Accessed through GBIF Data Portal February 16, 2008:
- Australian National Herbarium
- , Australian National Herbarium
- Bernice Pauahi Bishop Museum, Bishop Museum Natural History Specimen Data
- Biologiezentrum der Oberoesterreichischen Landesmuseen, Biologiezentrum Linz
- Botanical Research Institute of Texas, Andes to Amazon Biodiversity Program
- Bundesamt für Naturschutz / Zentralstelle für Phytodiversität Deutschland, Bundesamt fuer Naturschutz / Zentralstelle fuer Phytodiversitaet Deutschland
- Comisión nacional para el conocimiento y uso de la biodiversidad, Herbario del Instituto de Ecología, A.C., México
- Comisión nacional para el conocimiento y uso de la biodiversidad, Herbario del Instituto de Ecología, A.C., México
- GBIF-Spain, Jardín Botánico de Córdoba: Herbarium COA
- GBIF-Sweden, Internation Botanical Collections
- Instituto Nacional de Biodiversidad
- , Biodiversidad de Costa Rica
- Missouri Botanical Garden, Missouri Botanical Garden
- National Herbarium of New South Wales, NSW herbarium collection
- National Herbarium of New South Wales, Plants of Papua New Guinea
- Taiwan Biodiversity Information Facility, Magnoliophyta
- The Swedish Museum of Natural History
- , Herbarium of Oskarshamn
- The Swedish Museum of Natural History
- , Plants
- UK National Biodiversity Network, Botanical Society of the British Isles - Vascular Plants Database
- UK National Biodiversity Network, Botanical Society of the British Isles - Vascular plant data for Scottish Vice-counties
- USDA PLANTS, USDA PLANTS Database
- inatura - Erlebnis Naturschau Dornbirn, inatura - Erlebnis Naturschau Dornbirn
Identifiers
- Biodiversity Heritage Library NamebankID: 2657912
- Catalogue of Life Accepted Name Code: Ast-25574
- Global Biodiversity Information Facility Taxonkey: 4490920
- Globally Unique Identifier: urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:94331-3
- GRIN Nomen Number: 1761
- Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS) Taxonomic Serial Number (TSN): 36483
- International Plant Names Index (IPNI) ID: 7118-2
- Natural Heritage Network Species Identifier: PDAST08030
- U.S.D.A. Plant Symbol: AGHO3
- Zipcode Zoo Species Identifier: 20139
Footnotes
- Guy L. Nesom "Ageratum". in Flora of North America Vol. 21 Page 460, 481. Oxford University Press. Online at EFloras.org. [back]
- "Ageratum houstonianum". in Flora of North America Vol. 21 Page 482, 483. Oxford University Press. Online at EFloras.org. [back]
- Mean = 548.250 meters (1,798.720 feet), Standard Deviation = 624.740 based on 247 observations. Altitude information for each observation from British Oceanographic Data Centre. [back]
