MEXICAN+SUNFLOWER


 * MEXICAN SUNFLOWER **

__**Names**__:Tithonia,Mexican sunflower __**Botanical name**__:Tithonia, Rotundifolia



__**Description:**__ The mexican sunflower is a warm season plant, growing to 1.5-1.8 m tall and 0.9-1.2m wide. The leaves are course 12.7-25cm long and 5-10 cm wide, they are covered with a soft downy fuzz.The center is usually gold ,like all sunflowers, this one usually opens the large outer petals, then the small flowers in the center open, but once in a while a bloom will open first, with the petals still rolled up in little tubes.The seed heads are very spiny and people usually dont collect the seeds.

This flower originated in Mexico, it first was domesticated in eastern North America then it was introduced in mexico as an ornamental plant in 1987.
 * __Country of Origin__:**

__**History of the plant in South Africa**__: The plant was introduced to South Africa in the late 1920s, it was brought to South Africa as a decorative plant but later it spreaded rapidly in other continents as it grew in massive numbers.

__**Category of Alien plant**__: 1: Plants that must be eradicated when found

__**Distribution in South Africa**:__ The plant is mostly found in the southern and western areas of Africa and other parts of the world,We mostly see the invasive plant in the early summer for it grows best in warm shaded areas.

__**Habitat:**__ The mexican flower is related to the daisy family, this plant is attractive to bees, butterflies and birds, so it usually grows in gardens and forests.

__**Problems/Dangers to the local habitat**__: This plant is a complete threat, it causes alot of problems but the dangers are still unknown, Mexican sunflowers invade grasslands, roadsides, riverbank, they create swamps and replace the indigenous vegetation.

__**Methods of eradication**__: The flower is easily killed by herbicides such as galex, gramoxone and primaxtra; but the easiest way to get rid of these invasive spieces is to either uproot the plant or set it in flames or just cutting it will do, germination was made for 10 days to work with the herbicides soaked with the plants in hot water,they were analysed after this period of time and they found out that they could not eradicate easily.

__**Success of eradication**__:



When the flower is dead it is usefull for making manure,