Observation of the Month: Prostrate Capeweed (Arctotheca prostrata) Asteraceae

http://www.inaturalist.org/observations/1374292

One of the goals of land managers is to control the spread of or extirpate invasive species from natural areas in their care. To do so, they have to know when a new invasive species arrives in an area and where it is located. Here is an observation of a plant native to South Africa which has been used extensively in ornamental landscaping in California. Unfortunately, when it escapes from cultivation, it competes with, or sometimes out-competes, native plants. With this observation, we know that it is growing in a natural area in San Diego. When you record observations of plants such as Arctotheca prostrata, you are adding important information that may help in efforts to stop the spread of invasive species. An observation of a species new to our area, such as this one, may also lead to collection of a voucher specimen of the plant for the herbarium. Voucher specimens are crucial for long-term documentation of the presence and distribution of plants in a given area.

Publicado el noviembre 3, 2017 02:53 TARDE por milliebasden