Skeleton Weed - introduced (*Chondrilla juncea)

Family: Asteraceae (Daisy family).

Native of Europe and Asia.

Occurrence: Uncommon in the Central Goldfields; it is more common in northern areas where it is a weed of roadsides, waste areas and cereal crops.

Identification:

• it is a wiry, branched, almost leafless plant
• the rosette in early growth resembles that of the dandelion, with the leaf lobes pointing backwards
• the flowers are yellow and resemble those of Dandelion and Cats-ear.

The branched, wiry and almost leafless stems make "skeleton weed” an appropriate name. Its wiry stems interfere with harvesting operations. Skeleton Weed is a noxious weed and Restricted in central Victoria. It is spread by seed and by pieces of the roots, and so is spread by cultivation.