Grangea maderaspatana (L.)Poir.
Family
Compositae
Synonyms
Artemisia maderaspatana L.
Vernacular Names
| Indonesia | Kembang paku konde, serawan hutan. |
| Philippines | Pakopatoli-alog (Ilokano). |
| Thailand |
Pha-yaa mutti (central), yaa chaam luang (northern). |
| Vietnam |
C[ar]I d[oof]ng, c[us]c d[aj]i, rau c[os]c. |
Geographical Distributions
G. maderaspatana is found in Africa and Madagascar to tropical Asia; it occurs throughout Southeast Asia.
Description
G. maderaspatana is a prostrate, ascending to erect annual herb, which is up to 55 cm tall, branched from the base and with a taproot.
The leaves are arranged alternately, oblong-obovate in outline, measuring 2-10 cm x 1-6 cm, pinnatilobed, with 3-4 pairs of coarsely dentate, opposite lobes, thinly patently hairy on both sides and sessile.
The inflorescence is a terminal, truncate-spherical head, 6-10 mm in diametre, solitary or 2-3 together, yellow and many-flowered. The peduncle is 1-4 cm long. The involucral bracts are 2- to 3-seriate where the outer ones are oblong and acute while the inner ones are elliptical. The flowers are all tubular and about 1.5 mm long. The marginal flowers are female, with narrowly tubular petal and short lobes. The disk flowers are bisexual, with cylindrical petal and 4-5 lobes. There are 5 stamens which are loosely cohering. The ovary is inferior, 1-celled and style is with 2 short acute arms.
The fruit is turbinate and compressed while the truncate achene is about 2 mm long, smooth and sparingly glandular. The pappus consists of a ciliate cup. Seedling is with epigeal germination. The hypocotyls are 2-2.5 mm long. The cotyledons are subsessile and elliptical to widely elliptical while epicotyl is absent.
Ecology / Cultivation
G. maderaspatana occurs on river banks, in desiccated pools, rain-fed rice fields, waste places and teak forests, preferring heavy soils but also common in sandy locations. It is often gregarious and up to 800 m altitude.
Line Drawing / Photograph
References
- Plant Resources of South-East Asia No.12(3): Medicinal and poisonous plants 3.
