Asteraceae: Sunflower Family – Eupatorieae (Eupatory) Tribe
The Sunflower family is a very large family with over 25,000 members. Botanists subdivide the family into a number of tribes, of which 14 are present in Monterey County. The Eupatory tribe has only two representatives in Monterey County. Neither one looks much like a sunflower, and one is highly invasive.
Sticky Ageratina / Eupatorium, Crofton Weed – Ageratina adenophora
Blooms:
All year
Plant Height:
0.3–1 m
Flower Size:
Medium cluster
Origin:
Mexico
Invasive?
Yes – high
Habitat:
Mild coastal areas
Notes:
Heads are discoid, i.e. with pure white disk flowers only, borne in clusters on tall, leafy stems. The opposite, spade-shaped leaves have round serrations. Widely naturalized and seriously invasive in certain places along the coast. Photos #1 – 3 by CJH.
California Brickellbush – Brickellia californica
Blooms:
Aug–Oct
Plant Height:
0.5–2 m
Flower Size:
Medium
Origin:
Native
Habitat:
Dry slopes or canyons, coastal and inland
Notes:
Moderate sized, many-branched shrub. Leafy, panicle-like clusters of more or less cylindrical heads with exserted, filament-like, greenish-yellow disk flowers. Each flower head has 5–6 overlapping series of phyllaries, green with purple tinges. The leaves are ovate to spade-shaped, crenate (i.e. with rounded serrations) to serrate.