Tridax procumbens L.

 

Family: Asteraceae

Synonym: Chrysanthemum procumbens (L.) Sessé & Moc.

Vernacular name: Kumminippachcha, kurikutticheera,  mukutti pu, muriyampachchila.

Habit: Herb

Habitat: Hilly areas

Distribution: Native of Tropical America; now widespread throughout tropics and subtropics

Flowering and Fruiting: Throughout the year

Key identification features: Procumbent herbs. Leaves ovate, apex acute, serrate, bulbous-based hairy; Heads solitary, on long peduncles; Outer row of flowers ligulate, 3-toothed, white; inner flowers bisexual, tubular; corolla 5-lobed at apex, yellow. Achenes obovoid, densely hairy; pappus many, setaceous.

Uses: Treat bronchial catarrh, diarrhea, dysentery and liver diseases

Synedrella nodiflora (L.) Gaertn.

 

Family: Asteraceae

Synonym: Ucacou nodiflorum (L.) Hitchc., Verbesina nodiflora L.

Vernacular name: Mudianpacha, Mudiyendrapacha, Mudiyendra Pacha, Mudundrapacha

Habit: Herb

Habitat: Deciduous forests, also in the plains

Distribution: Native of West Indies; naturalised in India, China, Malesia and Polynesia

Flowering and Fruiting: Throughout the year

Key identification features: Erect branches herbs; stem adpressed hairy. Leaves opposite, elliptic-ovate, base cuneate to truncate, narrowly winged on the petiole, margin serrate, apex acute, scabrous on both sides. Heads solitary, axillary and terminal, few-flowered, radiate. Flowers heterogamous, yellow.

Uses: Treatment of inflammatory diseases, including liver disease, asthma, rheumatism and earache

Sphagneticola trilobata (L.) Pruski

 

Family: Asteraceae

Synonym: Wedelia trilobata (L.) Hitchc.

Habit: Herb

Habitat: Moist Deciduous Forests, Plains to High Altitude, Cultivated, Native of Tropical America

Distribution: Mexico, Central America, and the Caribbean, but now grows throughout the Neotropics

Flowering and Fruiting: October - April.

Key identification features: Yellow Dots is native to the northern part of South America and the West Indies. It is a creeping evergreen perennial that roots at the leaf nodes and spreads widely. The leaves are ovate and usually 3 lobed. The flower is a yellow daisy-like flower. Plant creeps and roots at nodes, making a dense ground cover, as well as a great hanging basket

Uses: Treatment of bites and stings, fever and infection, wound healing

Sphaeranthus africanus L.

 

Family: Asteraceae

Synonym: Sphaeranthus cochinchinensis Lour.,  Sphaeranthus glaber DC.

Vernacular name: Vella-adakkamaniyan, Velutha-adakkamaniyan (Malayalam)

Habit: Herb

Habitat: Paddy fields and marshy areas

Flowering & Fruiting: January-March

Distribution: Indo-Malesia, China and Australia

Key identification features: African Globe Thistle is a plant with usually robust stems, which are hairless or velvet-hairy, curved, ascending, branched, winged, wings entire. Stem leaves are obovate-oblong, velvety or becoming hairless. Inflorescence consists of clusters of white globose or ovoid flower-heads. Achenes cylindric, without pappus.

Uses: In Ayurveda, the plant is believed to pacify vitiated vata, pitta epilepsy, migraine, jaundice, fever, cough, hemorrhoids, helminthiasis, skin diseases and as nervine tonic.

Sphaeranthus indicus L.

 

Family: Asteraceae

Synonym: Oligolepis indicus (L.) Cass. ex Steud., Sphaeranthus hirtus Willd.

Vernacular name: Adakkyamaniyan, Mangachedi, Mundari-Mundi, Mirangani

Habit: Herb

Habitat: Wet places, paddy fields, ponds, ditches, puddles, fallow lands

Distribution: India, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Myanmar, Malaysia, Australia, Africa

Flowering and Fruiting: January-April

Key identification features: Herb with aromatic scent, Leaves are oblong with spinulose serrated edges. Flowers tubular, pink, with tailed anthers.

Uses: It is used in insanity, tuberculosis, indigestion, bronchitis, spleen diseases, elephantiasis, anaemia, pain in uterus and vagina, piles, asthma etc.

Mikania micrantha Kunth

 

Family: Asteraceae

Synonym: Willoughbya micrantha (Kunth) Rusby

Vernacular name: Vayara (Malayalam)

Habit: Climber

Habitat: Forest plantations and also in the plains in moist localities

Flowering & Fruiting: February-April

Distribution: Widely introduced in various parts of Africa, Asia, Indonesia and the Pacific Islands, very quickly became a bad pantropical weed.

Key identification features: Climbing Hempweed is a branched, slender-stemmed perennial vine. Oppositely arranged leaves are heart-shaped or triangular with an pointed tip and a broad base. Strongly fragrant flowers, are arranged in dense corymbs in leaf axils or at the end of branches. Individual florets are white to greenish-white, 4 in each head.

Uses: Analgesia, skin bleeding, healing sores, antimicrobials, skin infection, and ulcers

Emilia sonchifolia (L.) DC.

 

Family: Asteraceae

Synonym: Cacalia sonchifolia L.

Vernacular name: Elichevianveru, Mulshevi, Muyalchevian

Habit: Herb

Habitat: Dry and moist deciduous forests, also in the plains

Flowering & Fruiting: July-December

Distribution: Tropical and Subtropical Africa and Asia

Key identification features: Erect or diffuse herbs. Leaves radical and cauline. Heads homogamous, not rayed, 1-3 on long slender peduncles. Florets bisexual. Corolla pink.  Achenes 5-ribbed, hispid. Pappus white silky

Uses: Against inflammation, insect bites, conjunctivitis, rheumatism, cuts and wounds

Elephantopus scaber L.

 

Family: Asteraceae

Vernacular name: Anayatiyan

Habit: Herb

Habitat: Shady forests, Often on open slopes, roadsides or forest margins in valleys

Flowering & Fruiting: May-October

Distribution: Tropical & Subtropical Old World

Key identification features: Elephant Foot is a rather coarse, rigid, erect, hairy herb. Stems forked, and stiff. Leaves are mostly in basal rosette and oblong-ovate to oblong-lancelike. Those on the stem few and much smaller. Purple flowers. Each head comprises about 4 flowers. Fruits are achenes, ribbed. Pappus from 4 to 6 mm long with rigid ristles.

Uses: Roots and leaves are used as emollient for dysuria, diarrhoea, dysentery, swellings and stomach pain. Root is prescribed to prevent vomiting. Powdered with pepper it is applied for tooth-ache. Leaves are used in applications for eczema and ulcers.

Eclipta prostrata (L.) L.

 

Family: Asteraceae

Synonym: Eclipta alba (L.) Hassk., Cotula prostrata (L.) L.

Vernacular name: Kaithonni, Kaiyan-takara, Kanjunni, Kayyunni

Habit: Herb

Habitat: Paddy fields and moist localities

Flowering & Fruiting: Throughout the year

Distribution: Pantropics

Key identification features: False Daisy is an annual commonly found growing in waste ground. Stems are erect or prostate, entirely velvety, often rooting at nodes. Oppositely arranged stalkless, oblong, lance-shaped, or elliptic leaves. It has a short, flat or round, brown stem and small white daisy-like flowers on a long stalk.

Uses: Bhringraj is mainly used in hair oils, but it has been considered a good drug in hepatotoxicity. In hair oils, it may be used alongwith Centela asiatica (Brahmi) and Phyllanthus emblica (Amla)

Cyanthillium cinereum (L.) H.Rob.

 

Family: Asteraceae

Synonym: Vernonia cinerea (L.) Less.

Vernacular name: Pirina, Poovamkurunthala, Puvamkozhinjal, Puvankurunal

Habit: Herb

Habitat: Deciduous forests, also in the plains

Distribution: Pantropics, India

Flowering and Fruiting: Throughout the year

Key identification features: Annuals or perennial herbs with ribbed stems, which can be either smooth or slightly hairy. The leaves vary in size. The flower heads are small, arranged in terminal corymbose cymes, and supported by peduncles. The achenes are covered in fine hairs.

Uses: Treat unspecified medicinal disorders, as animal food and a medicine and for food.

Crassocephalum crepidioides (Benth.) S.Moore

 Family: Asteraceae

Synonym: Crassocephalum diversifolium var. crepidioides (Benth.) Hiern, Gynura crepidioides Benth.

Vernacular name: Appuppanthadi

Habit: Herb

Habitat: Deciduous forests, also in forest plantations and plains

Distribution: India, Sri Lanka, China, Africa and Madagascar

Flowering and Fruiting: August-December

Key identification features: Tall herbs. Leaves lower ones lyrate pinnatifid, elliptic-oblanceolate. Racemes terminal; flowers yellow, Achenes brown; pappus numerous, white.

Uses: To treat indigestion, stomachache, and wound

Chromolaena odorata (L.) R.M.King & H.Rob.

 

Family: Asteraceae

Synonym: Eupatorium odoratum L.

Vernacular name: Assam pacha, Communist-pacha (Malayalam); Kampurodda (Telugu)

Habit: Undershrub

Habitat: Less in the plains, introduced. Aggressive colonizer. Hills, lower slopes,

Flowering & Fruiting: October-May

Distribution: Tropical Asia (Naturalized)

Key identification features: Siam Weed is a big bushy herb or subshrub with long rambling but not twining branches. In open areas it spreads into tangled, dense thickets and higher when climbing up vegetation. The leaves are arrowhead-shaped. The seeds are dark coloured, narrow and oblong, with a parachute of white hairs which turn brown as the seed dries.

Uses: It is used as a traditional medicine in Indonesia. The young leaves are crushed, and the resulting liquid can be used to treat skin wounds

Centratherum punctatum Cass.

 

Family: Asteraceae

Synonym: Baccharoides punctata (Cass.) Kuntze, Centratherum longispinum Cass.

Habit: Herb

Habitat: Forest and woodland, savanna, shrubland

Distribution: Dry tropical biome

Flowering and Fruiting: August-January

Key identification features: Called Brazilian Button Flower, this bushy perennial is native to Brazil. Coming into bloom in a rather short period from seed, the lavender-blue, button are long lasting and borne continually until frost. The flowers resemble tiny Canadian thistle flowers. The refreshing resinous pineapple scented foliage would be a good candidate for wreaths or potpourri.

Uses: Commonly used in hair care preparations

Centipeda minima (L.) A.Braun & Asch.

 

Family: Asteraceae

Synonym: Artemisia minima L., Cotula minima (L.) Willd.

Habit: Herb

Habitat: Paddy fields and along river banks

Distribution: Temperate biome

Key identification features: Prostrate glabrous herbs; stems slender. Leaves alternate, obovate, obtuse, cuneate at base, dentate. Heads axillary, sessile, hemispherical; Flowers 2-types. Female flowers in outer few rows; corolla yellow. Bisexual flowers inner, few; corolla yellow; Achenes  obovate, 4-angled, ciliate, brown; pappus absent.

Flowering and Fruiting: February-March

Uses: Treatment of whooping cough, nasal allergy, malaria, and asthma.

Blumea lacera (Burm.f.) DC.

 

Family: Asteraceae

Synonym: Blumea lacera var. burmanni DC., Conyza lacera Burm.f.

Vernacular name: Kukkura-chedi, Rakila

Habit: Herb

Habitat: Dry deciduous forests, also in the plains

Distribution: Paleotropics

Flowering and Fruiting: Throughout the year

Key identification features: Herbs; stems terete, glabrous. Leaves broadly elliptic, irregularly toothed. Heads globose, terminal and upper axillary, 10-15 together; Bisexual flowers few; corolla glandular. Achenes ribbed, hairy.

Uses: Antispasmodic, antipyretic, antioxidant, anti-diarrheal, liver tonic, expectorant, diuretic, astringent and stimulant as well as to treat bronchitis, fevers and burning sensation

Laggera alata (D.Don) Sch.Bip. ex Oliv.

 Family: Asteraceae

Synonym: Blumea alata (D.Don) DC.

Habit: Herb

Habitat: Grasslands

Distribution: Dry tropical biome

Key identification features: Subshrubs; stems winged, densely villous. Leaves alternate, obovate-oblong, obtuse, sessile. Heads in terminal leafy panicle. Female flowers outer several rows. Bisexual flowers few, central; corolla pink, lobes acute, glabrous. Achenes  ribbed, hispid; pappus white.

Flowering and Fruiting: December-March

Uses: Its leaves may be rubbed on to skin to repel mosquitoes and flies.

Artemisia nilagirica (C.B.Clarke) Pamp.

 

Family: Asteraceae

Synonym: Artemisia vulgaris var. nilagirica C.B.Clarke

Vernacular name: Karpoora-thulasi, Maasippathri, Makkippoovu, Tirunitripachcha, Velipathiri

Habit: Shrub

Habitat: Along forest margins

Distribution: India and South West China

Flowering and Fruiting: May-December

Key identification features: Perennial fragrant shrubs; stems terete, puberulus. Leaves  lobes oblong, acute; upper ones entire. Heads globose; Female flowers many; corolla white, narrow. Bisexual flowers 4-6; Achene oblong, glabrous.

Uses: The whole plant is used in cough, asthma, bronchitis, skin diseases, fever and intestinal worms.

Ageratum conyzoides L.

 

Family: Asteraceae

Synonym: Carelia conyzoides (L.) Kuntze

Vernacular name: Appa, Kattappa, Kumminipacha, Murianpache, Pokasunga

Habit: Herb

Habitat: Weed in fallow fields and wastelands in the High Ranges

Flowering & Fruiting: Throughout the year

Distribution: Pantropical

Key identification features: Goat weed is a common tropical annual herbaceous weed. It is an erect softly hairy annual plant. Numerous pale blue or whitish flower-heads often forming dense domed to flat-topped clusters in leaf axils or end of branches. Flowers most of the year. The dark seeds have scales and ends in a needle-like shape.

Uses: Used against epilepsy and wounds, as insect repellent. In China it is used to treat common colds, headaches, boils, eczema, bleeding wounds, and burns.

Acmella uliginosa (Sw.) Cass.

 

Family: Asteraceae

Synonym: Ceratocephalus acmella var. uliginosa (Sw.) Kuntze, Coreopsis acmella var. uliginosa (Sw.) E.H.L.Krause

Habit: Herb

Habitat: Wet or marshy places

Flowering & Fruiting: November-February

Distribution: Probably native of Tropical America; reported from Africa, Sri Lanka, Java and India

Key identification features: Marsh Para Cress is an annual herb. Stems are erect, scrambling or sometimes creeping, green or reddish, hairless or hairy. Leaves are lanceshaped, narrowly ovate or ovate,  hairless to sparsely hairy. Flower-heads are yellow, solitary, radiate. Achenes are ciliated.

Uses: Traditionally used as an antibiotic in the treatment of infectious diseases

 

Acmella oleracea (L.) R.K.Jansen

 

Family: Asteraceae

Synonym: Spilanthes radicans Schrad. ex DC., Bidens fervida Lam.

Vernacular name: Venapacha

Habit: Herb

Habitat: Degraded moist deciduous forests, also in the plains

Distribution: Native of Tropical America

Flowering and Fruiting: October-March

Key identification features: Erect herbs; stem glabrous. Leaves ovate, acute, crenulate along the margins, glabrous. Heads solitary or 2-3 together. Achenes 2 types, marginal ones 3-angled, central achenes laterally compressed, obovate, truncate, ciliate along the edges, cilia longer towards the apex.

Uses: Relieve toothache. Helps to reduce affections of throat and gums as well as to paralyse the tongue