''Chromolaena'' is a genus of about 165 species of

perennial In horticulture, the term perennial ('' per-'' + '' -ennial'', "through the year") is used to differentiate a plant from shorter-lived annuals and biennials. It has thus been defined as a plant that lives more than 2 years. The term is also ...

s and

shrub A shrub or bush is a small to medium-sized perennial woody plant. Unlike herbaceous plants, shrubs have persistent woody stems above the ground. Shrubs can be either deciduous or evergreen. They are distinguished from trees by their multiple ...

s in the family

Asteraceae Asteraceae () is a large family (biology), family of flowering plants that consists of over 32,000 known species in over 1,900 genera within the Order (biology), order Asterales. The number of species in Asteraceae is rivaled only by the Orchi ...

. The name is derived from the

Greek Greek may refer to: Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor of all kno ...

words (), meaning "color", and () or () meaning "cloak". It refers to the colored

phyllaries In botanical terminology, a phyllary, also known an involucral bract or tegule, is a single bract of the involucre of a composite flower. The involucre is the grouping of bracts together. Phyllaries are reduced leaf-like structures that form one o ...

of some species. Members of the genus are native to the

Americas The Americas, sometimes collectively called America, are a landmass comprising the totality of North America and South America.''Webster's New World College Dictionary'', 2010 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio. When viewed as a sing ...

, from the

southern United States The Southern United States (sometimes Dixie, also referred to as the Southern States, the American South, the Southland, Dixieland, or simply the South) is List of regions of the United States, census regions defined by the United States Cens ...

South America South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a considerably smaller portion in the Northern Hemisphere. It can also be described as the southern Subregion#Americas, subregion o ...

(especially

Brazil Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...

). One species, ''

Chromolaena odorata ''Chromolaena odorata'' is also known as Jack in the Bush. It is a tropical and subtropical species of Flowering plant, flowering shrub in the family Asteraceae. It is native to the Americas, from Florida and Texas in the United States so ...

'', has been introduced to many parts of the world where it is considered a

weed A weed is a plant considered undesirable in a particular situation, growing where it conflicts with human preferences, needs, or goals.Harlan, J. R., & deWet, J. M. (1965). Some thoughts about weeds. ''Economic botany'', ''19''(1), 16-24. Pla ...

. The plants of this genus were earlier taxonomically classified under the genus ''

Eupatorium ''Eupatorium'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Asteraceae, containing from 36 to 60 species depending on the classification system. Most are Herbaceous plant, herbaceous perennial plant, perennials growing to tall. A few are shrubs ...

'', but are now considered to be more closely related to other genera in the tribe

Eupatorieae Eupatorieae is a Tribe (biology), tribe of over 2000D.J.N.Hind & H.E.Robinson. 2007. Tribe Eupatorieae In: ''The Families and Genera of Vascular Plants'' vol.VIII. (Joachim W.Kadereit & Charles Jeffrey, volume editors. Klaus Kubitzky, general edi ...

Species

There are about 165 species, including: * ''

Chromolaena bigelovii ''Chromolaena bigelovii'' called Bigelow's false thoroughwort, or Bigelow's thoroughwort, is a North American species of flowering shrub in the family Asteraceae. It is native to northeastern Mexico (Coahuila, Nuevo León, San Luis Potosí) and t ...

'' ( A.Gray) R.M.King &

H.Rob. Harold Ernest Robinson (May 22, 1932 – December 17, 2020) was an American botanist and entomologist. Career Robinson's specialty was the sunflower family (Asteraceae) and the bryophytes. He has named or described over 2,800 new species and s ...

– Bigelow's thoroughwort * ''

Chromolaena borinquensis ''Chromolaena borinquensis'', the limestone thoroughwort, is a species of flowering vine in the family Asteraceae. It is endemic to the island of Puerto Rico. The epithet ''borinquensis'' is derived from a Latinized version of the word Boriké ...

'' (Britt.) R.M.King & H.Rob. – limestone thoroughwort * ''

Chromolaena corymbosa ''Chromolaena'' is a genus of about 165 species of perennials and shrubs in the family Asteraceae. The name is derived from the Greek words (), meaning "color", and () or () meaning "cloak". It refers to the colored phyllaries of some species. ...

'' (Aubl.) R.M.King & H.Rob. – Caribbean thoroughwort * ''

Chromolaena frustrata ''Chromolaena frustrata'' called Cape Sable false thoroughwort or Cape Sable thoroughwort, is a rare North American species of flowering shrub in the family Asteraceae. It is found only in southern Florida, on the Florida Keys, inside Everglades ...

'' ( B.L.Rob.) R.M.King & H.Rob. – Cape Sable thoroughwort * ''

Chromolaena geraniifolia ''Chromolaena geraniifolia'', the geraniumleaf thoroughwort, is a West Indian species of flowering shrub in the family Asteraceae. It is native to the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, part of the United States.Puerto Rico ; abbreviated PR), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, is a Government of Puerto Rico, self-governing Caribbean Geography of Puerto Rico, archipelago and island organized as an Territories of the United States, unincorporated territo ...

) * ''

Chromolaena hirsuta ''Chromolaena hirsuta'' is a South American species of flowering shrub in the family Asteraceae. It is native to Brazil, Bolivia, Uruguay, and Argentina Argentina, officially the Argentine Republic, is a country in the southern half of ...

'' (Hook. & Arn.) R.M.King & H.Rob. * ''

Chromolaena impetiolaris ''Chromolaena impetiolaris'' is a rare Caribbean species of flowering shrub in the family Asteraceae. It is endemic to the island of Dominica. ''Chromolaena impetiolaris'' is a shrub lacking hairs on its herbage. It has opposite leaves with no ...

'' (Griseb.) Nicolson * ''

Chromolaena integrifolia ''Chromolaena integrifolia'' is a Caribbean species of flowering shrub in the family Asteraceae. It is found on the Islands of Dominica, Guadeloupe, La Desirade, Les Saintes, Marie Galante, Montserrat, and St. Kitts in the Lesser Antilles Th ...

'' (Bertero ex Spreng.) R.M.King & H.Rob. * ''

Chromolaena ivifolia ''Chromolaena ivifolia'' called ivy-leaf false thoroughwort, or ivyleaf thoroughwort, is a species of flowering shrub in the family Asteraceae. It is native to North America and South America, from the south-eastern United States (eastern Texas, ...

'' R.M.King & H.Rob. – ivyleaf thoroughwort * ''

Chromolaena macrodon ''Chromolaena macrodon'' is a rare Caribbean species of flowering shrub in the family Asteraceae. It is found only the Island of Dominica in the Lesser Antilles.Chromolaena misella ''Chromolaena'' is a genus of about 165 species of perennials and shrubs in the family Asteraceae. The name is derived from the Greek language, Greek words (), meaning "color", and () or () meaning "cloak". It refers to the colored phyllaries ...

'' (McVaugh) R.M.King & H.Rob. * ''

'' (L.) R.M.King & H.Rob. – Jack in the bush * '' Chromolaena oteroi'' (Monachino) R.M.King & H.Rob. – Mona Island thoroughwort *'' Chromolaena sagittata'' (A.Gray) R.M.King & H.Rob. * '' Chromolaena sinuata'' (Lam.) R.M.King & H.Rob. – wavyleaf thoroughwort * ''

Chromolaena squalida ''Chromolaena squalida'' is a South American species of flowering shrub in the family Asteraceae. It is found in Brazil, Paraguay, Bolivia, Peru, Colombia, Venezuela, Guyana, Suriname Suriname, officially the Republic of Suriname, is a co ...

'' (DC.) R.M.King & H.Rob. * '' Chromolaena trigonocarpa'' (Griseb.) R.M.King & H.Rob. *'' Chromolaena xalapana'' B.L.Turner In Australia some species are called "triffid weed" (page 6)

References

* * Asteraceae genera {{Eupatorieae-stub