Speedy-weed

Names and Synonyms

Common Names

• Speedy-weed
• coastal plain yellowtops
• speedyweed

Scientific Names

Accepted name

Synonyms

• Vermifuga corymbosa
• Flaveria spicata
• Flaveria contrayerba
• Ethulia bidentis
• Flaveria bonariensis
• Milleria contrayerba
• Flaveria capitata
• Flaveria chilensis

Regional and Traditional Names

Sources: Wikidata, Catalogue of Life

Taxonomical Classification

This plant, known scientifically as Flaveria bidentis, belongs to the kingdom Plantae and the phylum Streptophyta. Within the class Equisetopsida and subclass Magnoliidae, it is classified under the order Asterales and the family Asteraceae. It is specifically identified by the genus Flaveria.

Sources: The World Checklist of Vascular Plants (WCVP)

Distribution

This plant exhibits a diverse geographical range stretching across various regions of Europe. In Northern Europe, its presence is noted in both Great Britain and Sweden. Moving toward the Mediterranean, it can be found throughout parts of Southwestern Europe. Specifically, its distribution includes the islands of the Baleares and the mainland of France. Finally, the species is also well-established within the borders of Spain.

Sources: The World Checklist of Vascular Plants (WCVP)

Botanical Identification

Ecology

The ecology of Flaveria bidentis is characterized by its presence within the Cerrado (latto sensu) habitat, where it thrives in specific environmental conditions. This species exhibits a broad altitudinal distribution, occurring across a significant elevational range that begins at sea level (0 m AMSL) and extends up to a maximum altitude of 3000 m AMSL.

Elevational range max:

3000 m AMSL

Elevational range min:

0 m AMSL

Habitat :

Cerrado (lato sensu)

Life history

The life history of Flaveria bidentis is characterized by an annual lifecycle, meaning the plant completes its entire developmental process—from germination and vegetative growth to flowering and seed production—within a single growing season. As a therophyte, it survives the unfavorable periods of its environment by producing hardy seeds that remain dormant until conditions become suitable for the next generation, rather than maintaining any persistent above-ground or below-ground vegetative structures.

Life form :

therophyte

Lifecycle :

annual

Morphology

The morphology of Flaveria bidentis is characterized by its growth form as a non-woody herb and forb, reaching a plant height ranging from a minimum of 0.2 m to a maximum of 1.2 m. This species functions as a self-supporting plant, exhibiting neither climbing behavior such as a liana or vine nor being an obligatory or facultative climber. It maintains an independent lifestyle, as it is not a parasite, and it is strictly terrestrial in its ecological habit, lacking any epiphytic characteristics such as being a holoepiphyte, hemiepiphyte, or any other form of epiphyte. Additionally, while its habitat profile encompasses aquatic, semiaquatic, and terrestrial environments, its primary morphological classification aligns with terrestrial growth.

Aquatic :

terrestrial

Climber :

self-supporting

Epiphyte :

terrestrial

Growth form :

herb

Growth form :

forb

Parasite :

independent

Plant height max:

1.2 m

Plant height min:

0.2 m

Woodiness :

non-woody

Physiology

The physiology of Flaveria bidentis is fundamentally characterized by its efficient carbon fixation strategy, specifically utilizing a C4 photosynthetic pathway. This specialized metabolic process allows the plant to concentrate carbon dioxide around the enzyme Rubisco, effectively minimizing photorespiration and enhancing water-use efficiency. By employing a spatial separation of initial CO2 fixation and the subsequent Calvin cycle, the plant can maintain high photosynthetic rates even under conditions of high light intensity and elevated temperatures. This C4 mechanism provides a significant physiological advantage in optimizing biomass production and resource management within its ecological niche.

Photosynthetic pathway :

C4

Reproduction

The reproduction of Flaveria bidentis is characterized by the production of specialized fruit structures and specific seed morphological traits. The plant produces fruit classified as an achene, which is characterized by being indehiscent, meaning the fruit does not split open at maturity to release its contents. The seeds contained within are remarkably small and lightweight, with a recorded mean seed mass of 0.000205 g. The variation in seed size is minimal, ranging from a minimum mass of 0.00019 g to a maximum mass of 0.00022 g.

Dehiscence :

indehiscent

Fruit type :

achene

Seed mass max:

0.00022 g

Seed mass mean:

0.000205 g

Seed mass min:

0.00019 g

Sources: Global Inventory of Floras and Traits (GIFT)

Chemicals

Flaveria bidentis has 2 reported phytochemicals identified across 0 scientific publications and several other databases. The most consistently reported chemicals include quercetin 3,7,3',4'-tetrasulphate, quercetin 3-acetyl-7,3',4'-trisulphate.

quercetin 3,7,3',4'-tetrasulphate

1. Thrombosis research

quercetin 3-acetyl-7,3',4'-trisulphate

1. Thrombosis research