First record of Youngia japonica (L.) DC. (Asteraceae: Tribe Cichorieae) in Aotearoa / New Zealand

Marley Ford^1* , Yannick Dorsman², Lara Shepherd³ , Jack Warden⁴, Peter J. de Lange⁵

Affiliation:
1 School of Environment, Waipapa Taumata Rau University of Auckland, Auckland, New
Zealand.
2 Southern Institute of Technology, 133 Tay Street, Invercargill, New Zealand.
3 Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa, PO Box 467, Wellington 6140, New Zealand.
4 Independent researcher, Mangawhai, New Zealand.
5 Applied Molecular Solutions Research Centre, School of Environmental and Animal Sciences,
Manukau Institute of Technology and Unitec, Private Bag 92025, Victoria Street West,
Auckland 1142, New Zealand.
* Corresponding author: mfecobotany@gmail.com

Received: 15 July 2026 | Accepted: 30 August 2026 | Published: 23 October 2026
Associate Editor: Dan Blanchon
https://doi.org/10.55457/pibs.01103

Download PDF

Abstract
We report the first verified records of Youngia japonica subsp. japonica (Asteraceae: Tribe Cichorieae)
in northern Aotearoa / New Zealand. Five populations have been discovered across Tāmaki Makaurau
/ Auckland and Te Tai Tokerau / Northland. Specimens were identified using morphological characteristics consistent with flora descriptions, and verified through sequencing using nrDNA ITS (ITS1 and ITS2 spacer regions) and the chloroplast trnH-psbA intergenic spacer. The presence of Youngia japonica in Aotearoa extends its known distribution into the southwestern Pacific, and adds to the growing body of evidence that imported coco peat ‘soils’ are adding to the weed flora of the country. We also explore the potential weediness of Youngia in Aotearoa.

Cite as
Ford, M., Dorsman, Y., Shepherd, L., Warden, J. & de Lange, P. J. (2026). First record of Youngia japonica (L.) DC. (Asteraceae: Tribe Cichorieae) in Aotearoa / New Zealand. Perspectives in Biosecurity, 11: 41–51. https://doi.org/10.55457/pibs.01103