A Mystery solved?

[DavidJO]

This plant appeared in our garden here in Hampshire - photographed during August.

After afruitless search through the usual guides I gave up on it - until this month!
We've just spent a week in Turkey where I found the same plant growing everywhere, especially among rocks! A more thorough hunt when I got home identified it (well, I'm 99% sure) as Flax-leaved Fleabane, Conyza bonariensis.
Interestingly, the plant appeared next to one of our Oleanders that we had bought and potted up earlier in the year. I'm wondering if the seed came from that - presumably an imported plant.
Further research (well, O.K., I looked it up on Wikipedia) told me that it probably originated in Argentina, and it has now spread around the world, though it is rare in the UK - at least, outside my garden.

Has anyone else come across this one?

David J O

[Dorts]

Hi David, welcome to WAB. An interesting find.
Conyza bonariensis (Argentine Fleabane) was for many years confused with Conyza sumatrensis (Guernsey Fleabane) which is now well established here.

Conyza bonariens is a rare casual that until a few years ago had only had one vouched-for record for Hants. There are now a few more records for this species in Hampshire but it is still very rare.
The problem is that since this plant appeared, various experts have started to look a little more closely and uncertainties have arisen.
Conyza bonariens plants are largely apomictic or at least self-pollinating
like Hawkweeds, so there is great variability among populations some looking very much like other Conyza species. I am not sure what the present situation is with its status.

I certainly think your local County Recorder (B.S.B.I.) may be interested in your plant if it appears again next year.
Dorts.
Are you in North or South Hants?

[DavidJO]

Thanks Dorts; that's interesting and helpful.
We are in South Hampshire, just south of Winchester.
As I mentioned in the post, my suspicion is that this plant arrived as a seed in with the oleander plants we bought from an on-line nursery, so a genuine casual. (It did rather better than the oleanders, though we have hopes for those next year!)
I have collected some seed, though I gather from the Internet that this can be a troublesome weed so perhaps that isn't a good idea.
It is interesting how odd plants can turn up in this way - a few years ago we found some American ragweed plants growing underneath the spot where we hung the wild bird seed.

D JO