Blumea obliqua

Blumea obliqua (Linn.) Druce, Rep. Bot. Exch. Club. Brit. Isles 4: 609, 1916; Randeria, Blumea 10: 286, 1960; Malhotra & Rao, BOBSI 22: 7, 1980; Malhotra & Moorthy, BOBSI 13: 304, 1971; Kamble & Pradhan, Fl. Akola 114, 1988; Naik, Fl. Marathwada 464, 1998; Ugemuge, Fl. Nagpur Dist.205, 1986.

FAMILY: ASTERACEAE

Morphological characters :

Habit: An annual herb, 25 – 35 cm high; aromatic.

Stem: Profusely branched, stems terete, hairy.

Leaves: Leaves simple, alternate, sessile, elliptic – oblong, 1 – 5 cm x 0.6 – 2 cm, dentate margin, acute apex, base semi – amplexicaul, auricled at the base; hairy; reticulate venation.

Inflorescence: Heads small, solitary, terminal, few; long stalked, peduncles hairy; heterogamous, disciform.

Flower: Flower bracteate, outer involucre bracts lanceolate, pubescent, epigynous, pentamerous. Receptacle glabrous.

Outer Floret: Unisexual, female, fertile, corolla tube 4mm. Pappus slender. Ovary oblong, style-filiform, stigma subulate.

Disc Floret: Complete, actinomorphic, bisexual, few, tubular, slender, lobes 5, purple coloured, gamopetalous, valvate aestivation, pappus slender; stamens 5, epipetalous, dithecous, anther-bases sagittate. Bicarpellary, syncarpous, inferior ovary, unilocular with one ovule in a locule, basal placentation, ovary oblong, style pubescent, stigma puberulous.

Fruit: Achenes minute, less than 1mm long, oblong.

Flowering period: December – March.

Economic uses: The leaves are stomachic, antispasmodic.