Asteraceae, the daisy, sunflower, or composite family.
Description:
Plant:
Erect, bristly-hairy plant 1'-6' high, with branching clusters of small, white, cup-shaped
flower heads. Annual.
Flowers:
White, cup-shaped heads, about 1/4" across, with 25-40 narrow, non-spreading rays surrounding
yellow disk flowers. In branching, terminal panicle that may be cymose or racemose.
Leaves:
Alternate, narrowly lanceolate to linear, 1"-4", sessile, toothless, or sometimes toothed,
with bristly hairs along the margins.
Fruit:
A head of achenes with attached downy hairs.
Blooming:
July-November
Habitat:
Weedy open areas, overgrown fields.
Comments:
Native to North America, this weedy plant has spread to Eurasia.
An annual, it tends to be a pioneer species on bare ground, and is crowded out as perennials
become established.
Formerly classed with the fleabanes (genus Erigeron), the plant has recently been moved
to a separate genus Conyza.
Where to find it:
Appears occasionally in scattered fashion, in open, or newly turned areas.