Family: Asteraceae
High Risk Traits:
- Widely naturalized
- Broad climate suitability
- Unpalatable to deer and possibly other grazing animals
- May cause allergic reactions to susceptible individuals
- Tolerates many soil conditions (and potentially able to exploit many different habitat types)
- Self-compatible
- Reaches maturity in under 1 year
- Spread intentionally by people and possibly short distances by wind and gravity
- Often spread by discarded garden waste
- Seeds may persist in the soil
Low Risk Traits:
- Unarmed (no spines, thorns or burrs)
- Consumed by people
- Does not spread vegetatively
- Seeds not dispersed very far by natural means
- May be effectively controlled with herbicides
- Ornamental value
