Common name: Skeleton Weed
Chondrilla juncea L. APNI* 
Description: Perennial herb, 0.5–1 m high; stems open-branched above, ribbed, hairy at base.
Basal leaves oblanceolate, runcinate-pinnatifid, 4–20 cm long, 1.5–5 cm wide, soon withering; cauline leaves few, entire, lanceolate to linear, mostly reduced and bract-like.
Heads numerous, solitary, or 2 or 3 together in axils of scale-like leaves and along upper branches, 3–4 mm diam.; involucral bracts linear-lanceolate, obtuse to ± acute, glabrous or pubescent to tomentose; inner bracts 7–9. Florets yellow.
Achenes 8–10 mm long, glabrous; pappus 6–7 mm long, white.
Flowering: December–April
Distribution and occurrence: Weed of disturbed and arable land, grazed by sheep, south from Bellatta area. Native of Medit., C Eur., & W Asia.
NSW subdivisions: *NC, *CC, *SC, *NT, *CT, *ST, *NWS, *CWS, *SWS, *NWP, *SWP, *SFWP
Other Australian states: *Qld *Vic. *W.A. *S.A.
A declared noxious weed in some shires.
Text by L. Murray
Taxon concept: Flora of NSW 3 (1992)
APNI* Provides a link to the Australian Plant Name Index (hosted by the Australian National Botanic Gardens) for comprehensive bibliographic data
***The AVH map option provides a detailed interactive Australia wide distribution map drawn from collections held by all major Australian herbaria participating in the Australian Virtual Herbarium project.
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