Common name: Thickhead
Crassocephalum crepidioides (Benth.) S.Moore APNI*
Description: Erect annual herb, mostly 50–100 cm high, sparsely hairy.
Leaves with lamina elliptic to ovate in outline; lowest leaves lyrate-pinnatifid, up to 20 cm long and 10 cm wide, base often with a pair of stipule-like lobes, margins coarsely toothed; upper leaves smaller, not lobed or with a lobe each side towards base; petiole up to 4 cm long.
Heads in cymes, few to many, nodding at first, later erect; heads c. 4 mm diam.; outer involucral bracts c. 1 mm long, inner involucral bracts c. 16, 8–10 mm long. Florets reddish.
Achenes c. 2 mm long; pappus 8–10 mm long, white tinged reddish or mauve.
Flowering: chiefly summer.
Distribution and occurrence: Widespread weed of disturbed sites; coastal districts, west to the escarpment ranges, north from Sydney district. Native of Afr. & Madag.
NSW subdivisions: *NC, *CC, *SC, *NT, *LHI
Other Australian states: *Qld
Text by G. J. Harden 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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