First report of Centratherum punctatum in South Africa
Centratherum punctatum (Asteraceae) is native to South America and is recorded as an invasive alien plant species in China, the Caribbean, Hawaii (USA), New Caledonia and the Galapagos islands (Ecuador). It can form dense mats where it can colonise disturbed areas competing with native plant species. It can also have negative impacts on ecosystem services in which it can modify successional patterns. In addition, it can have negative indirect effects especially for pollinator dynamics as it can attract a wide range of pollinators to its flowers which can be produced all year round. C. punctatum was recently discovered in the Limpopo Province in South Africa where it is reported to be aggressively spreading. The population is several kilometres from any known planted populations and has spread along roadways, including both disturbed and paved roads. Work is ongoing to eradicate C. punctatum from the Limpopo Province and to detect any additional satellite populations.
Sources
Moshobane MC (2026) The lark daisy Centratherum punctatum Cass, an emerging invader in South Africa. BioInvasions Records 15(1), 13–19, https://doi.org/10.3391/bir.2026.15.1.02