Tridax procumbens

Tridax procumbens Linn., sp. Pl. 900, 1753; Clarke, Comp. Ind. 142, 1876; Hook. F., Fl. Brit. Ind. 3: 311, 1881; Gamble, Fl. Madras 2: 711, 1921; Mathew, III, Fl. Tamil. Carn. t. 391, 1982; Subramanian & Rao, BOBSI 3: 398, 1961; Malhotra & Rao, BOBSI 22: 7, 1980; Malhotra & Moorthy, BOBSI 13: 305, 1971; Kamble & Pradhan, Fl. Akola 123, 1988; Almeida, Fl. Savantwadi 234, 1990; Balapure, JBNHS 62 (3): 458, 1964; Puri & Jain, BOBSI 2: 331, 1960; Kulkarni, Fl. Sindhudurg Dist. 229, 1988; Naik, Fl. Marathwada 503, 1998; Puri & Mahajan, BOBSI 2: 126, 1962; Bole & Almeida, JBNHS 79: 603, 1983; Cooke, Fl. Pres. Bombay 2: 45, 1904; Karthikeyan & Anandkumar, Fl. Yavatmal 143, 1993; Ugemuge, Fl. Nagpur Dist. 216, 1986; Voight, Hort. Suburb. Cal. 417, 1845.

Vernacular name : Degdipala, Ekdandi, Pathri, Bhamburda.

FAMILY: ASTERACEAE

Morphological characters :

Habit: A small straggling perennial herb.

Stem: Stem hairy, branched at the base.

Leaves: Leaves simple, opposite, 3.7 x 2.5cm, exstipulate, petiolate, petioles hairy, acute apex, strigose on both surfaces with unicostate reticulate venation.

Inflorescence: Capitulum with solitary heads. Heads 1 – 1.5 cm across, peduncles long, slender, sparsely covered with white hairs; heterogamous, radiate.

Flower: Bracteate, outer involucre bracts hairy, ovate, acuminate, inner bracts membranous, oblong, acute, slightly longer than the outer; epigynous.

Ray Floret: Incomplete, zygomorphic, unisexual, female, fertile, deeply 3- lobed, middle lobe the smallest, the upper lip obsolete, tube narrowly cylinric, hairy, ligules yellow.

Disc Floret: Complete, actinomorphic, bisexual, epigynous, pentamerous. Petals 5, yellow, oblong, acute, gamopetalous, tubular, valvate aestivation; pappus of numerous unequal feathery bristles; stamens 5, epipetalous, syngenesious anthers, dithecous; basifixed.Bicarpellary, syncarpous, unilocular ovary with basal placentation, ovary oblong truncate, style 1, stigma bifid.

Fruit: Achenes of about 2mm long, oblong, covered with silky hairs, black.

Flowering period: Throughout the year; less in summer.

Economic uses: Used effectively to check the haemorrhage of wounds. Used for dysentery and diarrhea.

Origin: Native of Mexico.