Crupina vulgaris
Encyclopedia
Crupina vulgaris is a species of plant in the daisy family
known by the common names common crupina and bearded creeper. This spindly thistle-like
annual is perhaps best known as a noxious weed of fields and rangelands. It is native to southern Europe but it has been introduced
to other areas, where it has taken hold and spread. The plant starts as a basal rosette of deeply lobed pale green leaves with a pink midrib. It bolts a ridged stem which may approach a meter in height, but is generally just over half a meter tall at maximum. The stems have many sharply toothed leaves lined with tiny spines. Atop each branch of the stem is a flower head
containing a few bright pink or magenta disc florets. Usually all but one of the florets are sterile, with the fertile one producing a fruit. The fruit is a hard achene
3 to 6 millimeters long. It is coated in thin hairs and has a dark-colored pappus
a few millimeters long.
Common crupina is a weed in many areas, including Russia and western North America, particularly in the Pacific Northwest
. It is also known from southern Australia, but is not currently problematic there. Grazing animals find the spiny foliage of this plant distasteful, and large stands of the plant can ruin grazing land. This is a hardy plant that thrives in a variety of climatic conditions. It forms monotypic stands of spiny foliage. The achenes are tough and can disperse
easily; however, seed is the plant's only method of reproduction, so control is relatively easy if an infestation of this weed is caught early and seed production is prevented.
Asteraceae
The Asteraceae or Compositae , is an exceedingly large and widespread family of vascular plants. The group has more than 22,750 currently accepted species, spread across 1620 genera and 12 subfamilies...
known by the common names common crupina and bearded creeper. This spindly thistle-like
Thistle
Thistle is the common name of a group of flowering plants characterised by leaves with sharp prickles on the margins, mostly in the family Asteraceae. Prickles often occur all over the plant – on surfaces such as those of the stem and flat parts of leaves. These are an adaptation that protects the...
annual is perhaps best known as a noxious weed of fields and rangelands. It is native to southern Europe but it has been introduced
Introduced species
An introduced species — or neozoon, alien, exotic, non-indigenous, or non-native species, or simply an introduction, is a species living outside its indigenous or native distributional range, and has arrived in an ecosystem or plant community by human activity, either deliberate or accidental...
to other areas, where it has taken hold and spread. The plant starts as a basal rosette of deeply lobed pale green leaves with a pink midrib. It bolts a ridged stem which may approach a meter in height, but is generally just over half a meter tall at maximum. The stems have many sharply toothed leaves lined with tiny spines. Atop each branch of the stem is a flower head
Head (botany)
The capitulum is considered the most derived form of inflorescence. Flower heads found outside Asteraceae show lesser degrees of specialization....
containing a few bright pink or magenta disc florets. Usually all but one of the florets are sterile, with the fertile one producing a fruit. The fruit is a hard achene
Achene
An achene is a type of simple dry fruit produced by many species of flowering plants. Achenes are monocarpellate and indehiscent...
3 to 6 millimeters long. It is coated in thin hairs and has a dark-colored pappus
Pappus (flower structure)
The pappus is the modified calyx, the part of an individual disk, ray or ligule floret surrounding the base of the corolla, in flower heads of the plant family Asteraceae. The pappus may be composed of bristles , awns, scales, or may be absent. In some species, the pappus is too small to see...
a few millimeters long.
Common crupina is a weed in many areas, including Russia and western North America, particularly in the Pacific Northwest
Pacific Northwest
The Pacific Northwest is a region in northwestern North America, bounded by the Pacific Ocean to the west and, loosely, by the Rocky Mountains on the east. Definitions of the region vary and there is no commonly agreed upon boundary, even among Pacific Northwesterners. A common concept of the...
. It is also known from southern Australia, but is not currently problematic there. Grazing animals find the spiny foliage of this plant distasteful, and large stands of the plant can ruin grazing land. This is a hardy plant that thrives in a variety of climatic conditions. It forms monotypic stands of spiny foliage. The achenes are tough and can disperse
Biological dispersal
Biological dispersal refers to species movement away from an existing population or away from the parent organism. Through simply moving from one habitat patch to another, the dispersal of an individual has consequences not only for individual fitness, but also for population dynamics, population...
easily; however, seed is the plant's only method of reproduction, so control is relatively easy if an infestation of this weed is caught early and seed production is prevented.