''Erechtites'' is a genus of flowering plants in the

daisy family The family Asteraceae, alternatively Compositae, consists of over 32,000 known species of flowering plants in over 1,900 genera within the order Asterales. Commonly referred to as the aster, daisy, composite, or sunflower family, Compositae w ...

known commonly as fireweeds or burnweeds. They are native to the

Americas The Americas, which are sometimes collectively called America, are a landmass comprising the totality of North and South America. The Americas make up most of the land in Earth's Western Hemisphere and comprise the New World. Along with th ...

and

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

, but some species are widely distributed weeds.

Description

''Erechtites'' consists of

annual Annual may refer to: * Annual publication, periodical publications appearing regularly once per year **Yearbook ** Literary annual * Annual plant * Annual report * Annual giving * Annual, Morocco, a settlement in northeastern Morocco * Annuals (b ...

perennial A perennial plant or simply perennial is a plant that lives more than two years. The term ('' per-'' + '' -ennial'', "through the years") is often used to differentiate a plant from shorter-lived annuals and biennials. The term is also wide ...

herbs with large

taproots A taproot is a large, central, and dominant root from which other roots sprout laterally. Typically a taproot is somewhat straight and very thick, is tapering in shape, and grows directly downward. In some plants, such as the carrot, the taproo ...

and very often with a pungent odor. Leaves are usually ovate or lanceolate (sometimes pinnately lobed or pinnatifid).

Flower heads A pseudanthium (Greek for "false flower"; ) is an inflorescence that resembles a flower. The word is sometimes used for other structures that are neither a true flower nor a true inflorescence. Examples of pseudanthia include flower heads, compos ...

may sometimes contain as many as 100 yellow or white (rarely pink) disc florets but no

ray florets The family Asteraceae, alternatively Compositae, consists of over 32,000 known species of flowering plants in over 1,900 genera within the order Asterales. Commonly referred to as the aster, daisy, composite, or sunflower family, Compositae w ...

Taxonomy and species

Some species in this genus are treated as members of ''

Senecio ''Senecio'' is a genus of flowering plants in the daisy family (Asteraceae) that includes ragworts and groundsels. Variously circumscribed taxonomically, the genus ''Senecio'' is one of the largest genera of flowering plants. Description Morp ...

'' by some authors, and several other species are considered variants of ''

Erechtites hieraciifolius ''Erechtites hieraciifolius'' (fireweed, American burnweed, or pilewort) is a plant in the daisy family, Asteraceae. It is native to the Americas, but is found many places around the world having been introduced by human activity. It is introduce ...

'', so there may be as few as 5 distinct species in this genus. In particular, not all authors agree on whether to include a dozen or so species native to

and

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...

in ''Erechtites''. ;Species 27 species are recognised by Plants of the World Online *'' Erechtites apargiifolius'' -

*'' Erechtites atkinsoniae'' -

*'' Erechtites bathurstianus'' -

*'' Erechtites bukaensis'' -

Solomon Islands Solomon Islands is an island country consisting of six major islands and over 900 smaller islands in Oceania, to the east of Papua New Guinea and north-west of Vanuatu. It has a land area of , and a population of approx. 700,000. Its capita ...

*'' Erechtites diversifolius'' -

*'' Erechtites glabrescens'' -

*'' Erechtites glomeratus'' -

*'' Erechtites glossanthus'' -

*'' Erechtites goyazensis'' -

South America South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere at the northern tip of the continent. It can also be described as the southe ...

*'' Erechtites gunnii'' -

*''

'' -

North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and the Car ...

West Indies The West Indies is a subregion of North America, surrounded by the North Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea that includes 13 independent island countries and 18 dependencies and other territories in three major archipelagos: the Greater A ...

; introduced in

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...

and

Asia Asia (, ) is one of the world's most notable geographical regions, which is either considered a continent in its own right or a subcontinent of Eurasia, which shares the continental landmass of Afro-Eurasia with Africa. Asia covers an area ...

*'' Erechtites hispidulus'' -

*'' Erechtites ignobilis'' -

*'' Erechtites kermadecensis'' -

Kermadec Islands The Kermadec Islands ( mi, Rangitāhua) are a subtropical island arc in the South Pacific Ocean northeast of New Zealand's North Island, and a similar distance southwest of Tonga. The islands are part of New Zealand. They are in total are ...

*'' Erechtites laceratus'' -

*'' Erechtites leptanthus'' -

Chile Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in the western part of South America. It is the southernmost country in the world, and the closest to Antarctica, occupying a long and narrow strip of land between the Andes to the east a ...

*'' Erechtites minimus'' -

*'' Erechtites missionum'' -

*'' Erechtites petiolatus'' -

*'' Erechtites picridioides'' -

*'' Erechtites quadridentatus'' -

Java Java (; id, Jawa, ; jv, ꦗꦮ; su, ) is one of the Greater Sunda Islands in Indonesia. It is bordered by the Indian Ocean to the south and the Java Sea to the north. With a population of 151.6 million people, Java is the world's List ...

*'' Erechtites runcinatus'' -

Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...

*'' Erechtites scaberulus'' -

*'' Erechtites sonchoides'' -

*'' Erechtites tenuiflorus'' -

*'' Erechtites valerianifolius'' -

Central America Central America ( es, América Central or ) is a subregion of the Americas. Its boundaries are defined as bordering the United States to the north, Colombia to the south, the Caribbean Sea to the east, and the Pacific Ocean to the west. ...

*'' Erechtites wairauensis'' -

Alternatively, a more limited genus circumscription restricts the genus to New World species and only recognises six species in two sections: * ''Erechtites'' sect. ''Erechtites'' ** ''Erechtites hieracifolius'' ** ''Erechtites missionis'' ** ''Erechtites valerianifolius'' ** ''Erechtites petiolatus'' * ''Erechtites'' sect. ''Goyazenses'' Belcher ** ''Erechtites goyazensis'' ** ''Erechtites ignobilis'' The genus name ''Erechtites'' is considered

masculine Masculinity (also called manhood or manliness) is a set of attributes, behaviors, and roles associated with men and boys. Masculinity can be theoretically understood as socially constructed, and there is also evidence that some behaviors con ...

by some botanists and

feminine Femininity (also called womanliness) is a set of attributes, behaviors, and roles generally associated with women and girls. Femininity can be understood as socially constructed, and there is also some evidence that some behaviors considered fe ...

by others. Hence some species names may end in "-us" or "-a," for example, '' Erechtites valerianifolius'' versus ''E. valerianifolia.'' International Code of Botanical Nomenclature (Art. 62.4) specifies that generic names ending in "-ites" are to be treated as masculine, hence the "-us" ending in such cases is to be preferred over the "-a" ending.International Code of Nomenclature for algae, fungi, and plants (Melbourne Code)
article 62.4

References

External links

USDA Plants Profile
Senecioneae Asteraceae genera {{Senecioneae-stub