Chromolaena

[Ford, Donna]

Comments-on: Tue, 19 Dec 1995 12:51:31 EST
Comments-of: "Ford, Donna" <DIFORD at WVNVM.WVNET.EDU>
    CAN ANYONE HELP ME OUT ON THIS ONE?  REPLY TO ME OR CHARNIE DIRECTLY.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH! (Sorry to shout, but wanted to stand out from the header).
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     <CRAEMER at WVNVM.WVNET.EDU>
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Dear Dr. Ford

We met yesterday at the greenhouse Christmas lunch.  (Charnie Craemer from Sout
h Africa.)

I am a real novice on plants, and the person who really wants to speak to you (
from South Africa) is a Dr. Stefan Neser, but he is currently on holiday.  But
I will try my best to ask you about the problem:

Chromolaena odorata King & Robinson is one of the most important alien, invasiv
e weeds in South Africa.  The researchers in South Africa has an extensive proj
ect going to develop a biological control programme against it.  But as the wor
k progresses it is very evident that the exact identity of "C. odorata" in Sout
h Africa is questionable, and it is also very uncertain from which region exact
ely the weedy sp. (or biotype) that causes the problems in South Africa, came f
rom.  It is very important to know, so that the "correct" control agents can be
 located and imported.  Chromolaena odorata was previously known as Eupatorium
odorata.  According to Dr. Neser, R.M. King and H. Robinson, that transferred i
t to Chromolaena worked at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington in 1970.
I think what they would like to know, is if you possibly know any specialist in
 America on the Asteraceae that could possibly    help in working out the ident
ity and origin of the "South African" C. odorata.  This was now a very long exp
lanation!

Hope to hear from you soon, and thanks very much in advance for your time!
Charnie
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