Flowering stem. Photo: Russell Cumming, Townsville, Qld

Flowering stems. Photo: BT Wursten, Mozambique

Flowering plant. Australian Plant Image Index, photo: Murray Fagg, Barmah Forest Vic

Common Name

Western Cudweed

Family

Asteraceae

Notes

Introduced annual forb to 15cm tall. Leaves alternating up the stems, 1-4.5cm long, 2-9mm wide, flat, hairy, edges flat to wavy. Flower heads small (less than 3mm across), green to dark brown and straw-coloured to pale brown, with 0 petals. Flower heads oval, in dense clusters at the bases of the leaves and forming spikes at the ends of the stems.

Description in G.M. Cunningham, WE Mulham, PL Milthorpe and J H Leigh (1981 and later printings) Plants of Western New South Wales page 686

PlantNET description: http://plantnet.rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au/cgi-bin/NSWfl.pl?page=nswfl&lvl=sp&name=Gnaphalium~polycaulon