Japanese chaff flower
(Achyranthes japonica)
This species is Introduced in the United States
Appearance
Achyranthes japonica is a perennial herb that can grow up to about 6.5 ft. (2 m) tall. Stems are glabrous or slightly pubescent.
Foliage
Ovate-elliptic leaves are opposite and simple. Margins are entire and repand (slightly wavy). The base of the leaf is tapering and the apex is acute to acuminate.
Flowers
The small flowers have no petals and are clustered tightly on the inflorescence which occurs at the ends of the stems and upper branches. They flower in summer.
Fruit
The fruits are elliptic utricles that are held tightly along the stem. Fruits contain a single seed and each plant produces many seeds. Each fruit has a pair of stiff bracts that can attach to fur or clothing, allowing the seed to be easily spread.
Ecological Threat
Although Achyranthes japonica prefers partial sun and moist soils it can survive in the shade and dry conditions. It readily invades bottomland forests, wooded riverbanks, roadsides, ditches, and field edges. Achyranthes japonica can form dense monocultures shading and outcompeting native plant species.
Citations
Rawlins, K.A., R.L. Winston, C.T. Bargeron, D.J. Moorhead, and R. Carroll. 2018. New Invaders of the Southeast. USDA Forest Service, Forest Health Assessment and Applied Sciences Team, Morgantown, West Virginia. FHTET-2017-05. Retrieved from http://bugwoodcloud.org/resource/pdf/FHTET-2017-05_New%20Invaders_SE.pdf
Rawlins, K.A., R.L. Winston, C.T. Bargeron, D.J. Moorhead, and R. Carroll. 2018. New Invaders of the Northeast and Northcentral United States. USDA Forest Service, Forest Health Assessment and Applied Sciences Team, Morgantown, West Virginia. FHTET-2017-04. Retrieved from https://bugwoodcloud.org/resource/pdf/FHTET-2017-04_New%20Invaders_NE.pdf
Winston, R.L., Andreas, J.E., Milan, J., DesCamp, W., Randell, C.B., and M. Schwarzländer. 2014. New Invaders of the Northwest. United States Department of Agriculture, Forest Health Technology Enterprise Team. FHTET-2014-12. Retrieved from https://www.fs.fed.us/foresthealth/technology/pdfs/FHTET-2014-12_NW_New_Invaders.pdf
Achyranthes japonica is a perennial herb that can grow up to about 6.5 ft. (2 m) tall. Stems are glabrous or slightly pubescent.
Foliage
Ovate-elliptic leaves are opposite and simple. Margins are entire and repand (slightly wavy). The base of the leaf is tapering and the apex is acute to acuminate.
Flowers
The small flowers have no petals and are clustered tightly on the inflorescence which occurs at the ends of the stems and upper branches. They flower in summer.
Fruit
The fruits are elliptic utricles that are held tightly along the stem. Fruits contain a single seed and each plant produces many seeds. Each fruit has a pair of stiff bracts that can attach to fur or clothing, allowing the seed to be easily spread.
Ecological Threat
Although Achyranthes japonica prefers partial sun and moist soils it can survive in the shade and dry conditions. It readily invades bottomland forests, wooded riverbanks, roadsides, ditches, and field edges. Achyranthes japonica can form dense monocultures shading and outcompeting native plant species.
Citations
Rawlins, K.A., R.L. Winston, C.T. Bargeron, D.J. Moorhead, and R. Carroll. 2018. New Invaders of the Southeast. USDA Forest Service, Forest Health Assessment and Applied Sciences Team, Morgantown, West Virginia. FHTET-2017-05. Retrieved from http://bugwoodcloud.org/resource/pdf/FHTET-2017-05_New%20Invaders_SE.pdf
Rawlins, K.A., R.L. Winston, C.T. Bargeron, D.J. Moorhead, and R. Carroll. 2018. New Invaders of the Northeast and Northcentral United States. USDA Forest Service, Forest Health Assessment and Applied Sciences Team, Morgantown, West Virginia. FHTET-2017-04. Retrieved from https://bugwoodcloud.org/resource/pdf/FHTET-2017-04_New%20Invaders_NE.pdf
Winston, R.L., Andreas, J.E., Milan, J., DesCamp, W., Randell, C.B., and M. Schwarzländer. 2014. New Invaders of the Northwest. United States Department of Agriculture, Forest Health Technology Enterprise Team. FHTET-2014-12. Retrieved from https://www.fs.fed.us/foresthealth/technology/pdfs/FHTET-2014-12_NW_New_Invaders.pdf
Selected Images
Maps
EDDMapS Distribution - This map is incomplete and is based only on current site and county level reports made by experts, herbaria, and literature. For more information, visit www.eddmaps.org
State Lists - This map identifies those states that have this species on their invasive species list or law.
Invasive Listing Sources
- Alabama Invasive Plant Council
- Georgia Exotic Pest Plant Council - Category 1 Alert
- Indiana Invasive Species Council - Invasive Plant List
- Indiana Terrestrial Plant Rule
- Invasive Species of Concern in Georgia
- Kentucky Exotic Pest Plant Council - Severe Threat
- Michigan’s Invasive Species Watch List
- Missouri SRISP Species List
- New Hampshire Invasive Species Committee. 2005. Guide to Invasive Upland Plant Species in New Hampshire. New Hampshire Department of Agriculture, Markets and Food Plant Industry Division and New Hampshire Invasive Species Committee.
- New Invaders of the Northeast and Northcentral
- New Invaders of the Northwest
- New Invaders of the Southeast
- New Jersey Invasive Species Strike Team 2017 Invasive Species List
- New York Regulated and Prohibited Invasive Species - Prohibited
- Nonnative Invasive Species in Southern Forest and Grassland Ecosystems
- Ohio Invasive Species Council
- Ontario’s Invading Species Awareness Program Tracked Species List
- Wisconsin Noxious Weeds
- Wisconsin's Invasive species rule – NR 40
Taxonomic Rank
| Domain: Eukarya |
| Kingdom: Plantae |
| Phylum: Magnoliophyta |
| Class: Magnoliopsida |
| Superorder: Caryophyllanae |
| Order: Caryophyllales |
| Family: Amaranthaceae |
| Genus: Achyranthes |
| Achyranthes japonica |
References
Common Name Reference: USDA, NRCS. 2010. The PLANTS Database. National Plant Data Center, Baton Rouge, LA, USA.
Scientific Name Reference: USDA, NRCS. 2010. The PLANTS Database. National Plant Data Center, Baton Rouge, LA, USA.