Weeds of Australia - Fact Sheet

Top Scientific Name Synonyms Family Common Names Origin Naturalised Distribution Notes

Scientific Name

Argyranthemum frutescens (L.) Sch. Bip. subsp. foeniculaceum (Pit. & Proust) Humphries

Synonyms

Argyranthemum foeniculaceum (Willd.) Sch. Bip.
Argyranthemum frutescens (L.) Sch. Bip. var. foeniculaceum Pit. & Proust
Chrysanthemum anethifolium Willd.
Chrysanthemum foeniculaceum (Willd.) Steud.
Pyrethrum foeniculaceum Willd.

Family

Asteraceae (Queensland, New South Wales, the ACT, Victoria, Tasmania, Western Australia and the Northern Territory)
Compositae (South Australia)

Common Names

argyranthemum, Canary Island margeurite, dill daisy, Teneriffe daisy

Origin

Native to the Canary Islands.

Naturalised Distribution

Teneriffe daisy (Argyranthemum frutescens subsp. foeniculaceum) is naturalised in south-eastern and southern South Australia and in south-western Western Australia. It is also sparingly naturalised in coastal Victoria.

Also naturalised overseas in south-western USA (i.e. California).

Notes

Teneriffe daisy (Argyranthemum frutescens subsp. foeniculaceum) and Marguerite daisy (Argyranthemum frutescens subsp. frutescens) are both regarded as environmental weeds in South Australia and Western Australia. Cultivars and hybrids of both sub-species are widely cultivated as garden ornamentals and for cut flowers in Australia. Hence, some naturalised populations are intermediate between the two sub-species.

Both of these plants have escaped gardens and become serious weeds in coastal sand dunes in some parts of south-eastern South Australia (i.e. in the higher rainfall zones from the Eyre Peninsula to the Victorian border). They are very invasive in mid-dune areas, particularly where disturbance has occurred, and compete aggressively with less vigorous native flora in these areas through shading and competition for resources. Examples of locations where they are causing problems in this region include the Semaphore Park Coastal Reserve and the Henley Beach to Tennyson Coastal Reserve. Teneriffe daisy (Argyranthemum frutescens subsp. foeniculaceum) is probably the more important of these two plants in such coastal sites.

In south-western Western Australia, where Teneriffe daisy (Argyranthemum frutescens subsp. foeniculaceum) is less widespread, it is mainly found as a weed of limestone rises and cliffs along the Swan River estuary near Perth.

Plants belonging to one or other of the sub-species of Argyranthemum frutescens have also recently recorded becoming naturalised on sand dunes at Sunshine Beach, south of Noosa, in south-eastern Queensland and are locally naturalised garden escapes on Norfolk Island.