Chondrilla juncea L.
skeleton weed
Biennial to perennial rosette herb. Stem erect, openly branching above, finely ribbed, with felted tomentum and spreading stiff hairs at the base, glabrous above, 50-80 cm tall. Lvs with scattered fine crisped hairs. Rosette lvs petiolate, oblanceolate to linear, runcinate-pinnatifid, 5-10 × 0.5-2 cm; lobes triangular, acute, distantly finely toothed. Stem lvs sessile, linear, ± entire, c. 3-6 × c. 0.2 cm. Capitula sessile, solitary or in clusters of 2-3. Involucre 9-11 mm long; bracts pubescent to tomentose, erect at flowering, erecto-patent to spreading at fruiting. Florets few. Corolla yellow, c. 11/2× length of involucre. Achenes beaked, glabrous, whitish; body terete or weakly flattened on 1 side, narrowly obconic, 3-3.5 mm long, with spreading flattened scales on ribs, the distal scales forming a corona; beak slender, c. 5 mm long; pappus white, c. 7 mm long.
N.: Auckland City (Avondale).
S. and C. Europe, N.W. Africa, W. Asia 1980
One persistent infestation in a roadside pavement.
FL Dec-Mar FT Feb-Apr.
C. juncea resembles Cichorium intybus in its wiry stems with sessile capitula, but differs in its yellow fls, lack of glandular hairs, and long-beaked achenes with prominent pappus hairs. Lactuca saligna is also similar, but differs in its dark flattened achenes with ribs scabrid rather than scaly.
