Euchiton is a genus of flowering plants in the family Asteraceae (daisy family), comprising annual and perennial herbs native to Australasia and the Pacific. The genus currently contains around 17 recognised species, though its taxonomy remains unsettled — several former members have been transferred to the related genus Argyrotegium, and further reclassification is considered likely.
Plants in the genus typically produce stolons; some species also develop rhizomes. The leaves are a characteristic feature: usually green and hairless on the upper surface, with distinctively silver-woolly undersides. Florets are typically purple. Species occupy a range of habitats across their native range, from Australia (New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland, Western Australia, Tasmania) and New Zealand through New Guinea, New Caledonia, Norfolk Island, Taiwan, the Philippines, Java, Japan, and the Kermadec Islands. A number of species have also naturalised well beyond these native ranges.
Notable members include Euchiton sphaericus (star cudweed or tropical creeping cudweed), one of the most widely distributed species across the Pacific and Australasia, and Euchiton japonicus, known in English as the father-and-child plant, native to eastern Australia and Japan.
Distribution
Euchiton is native to Australasia and the Pacific, with species recorded across Australia (including New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland, Western Australia, and Tasmania), New Zealand (North and South Islands), New Guinea, Papua New Guinea, New Caledonia, Norfolk Island, Taiwan, the Philippines, Java, Japan, and the Kermadec Islands. Some species have been introduced and naturalised far outside this native range.
Taxonomy Notes
The taxonomy of Euchiton remains in flux. Several species previously placed in this genus have been transferred to the newly described genus Argyrotegium, and further changes are anticipated as the group is revised. GBIF currently accepts 17 descendants under the genus.
