Spilanthes clava

Spilanthes clava DC., Wight Contrb. Bot. Ind. 19, 1834; Ramamurthy in Fl. Hassan dist. 624, 1976; Almeida, Fl. Savantwadi 233, 1990; naik, Fl. Marathwada 498, 1998.

Vernacular name : Akkalkara.

Family: ASTERACEAE

Morphological characters :

Habit: Annual herb.

Stem: Diffusely branched, ascending or erect, hairy.

Leaves: Leaves simple, opposite, exstipulate, ovate, 2.5 – 5 x 1-4cm irregularly crenate – serrate margin, acute apex or subobtuse, base usually acute, glabrous or nearly so, petiolate, long, pubescent; petioles 6 – 15mm long.

Inflorescence: Solitary, discoid, peduncles long sometimes reaching or even exceeding 10cm long; heterogamous, radiate. Heads 6 – 12mm long, ovoid.

Flower: Flower bracteate, involucre bracts oblong – lanceolate, equal, sub-acute, pubescent, less than half as long as the head flowers. Receptacle convex, elongate, paleae folded enclosing the disk Flowers, often contracted with the ovary into a stalk.

Ray Floret: Ray flower and ligules very often absent, they later when present minute, Pappus absent.

Disc Floret: Disc yellow – red, ovaoid or conical, pappus absent.

Fruit: Achenes oblong or slightly obovoid, truncate, much compressed, nearly glabrous.

Flowering period: September – December.

Economic uses: Flowers head which when chewedhave a hot burning sensation and cause profuse salivation and relieve toothache.