Tricholepis glaberrima

Tricholepis glaberrima Dc., Prodr. 6: 564, 1838; Dalz. & Gibs., Bombay Fl. 131, 1861; Clarke, Comp. Ind. 239, 1876; Hook. f., Fl. Brit. Ind. 3: 381, 1881; Woodrow in JBNHS 11: 651, 1897; Cooke, Fl. Pres. Bombay 2: 56, 1904; Shah, BOBSI 4 (1 – 4): 236, 1962; Kulkarni, Fl. Sindhusdurg Dist. 229, 1988; Naik, Fl. Marathwada 501, 1998; Puri & Mahajan, BOBSI 2: 126, 1962; Bole & Almeida, JBNHS 79: 603, 1983; Ugemuge, Fl. Nagpur Dist. 216, 1986.

Vernacular name : Dahan.

FAMILY: ASTERACEAE

Morphological characters :

Habit: An erect herb.

Stem: Glabrous, slender, branched unarmed, branches angled and ribbed.

Leaves: Leaves simple, alternate, exstipulate, sessile, 6 x 0.7 cm long, lanceolate, spinous, serrate margin, acute apex, punctuate, base of cauline leaves not or rarely auricled, midrib and nerves very prominent beneath, unicostate reticulate venation.

Inflorescence: Capitulum solitary, terminal, 6 – 8 mm long, ovoid, glabrous, pedunculate, homogamous.

Flower: Bracteate, involucre bracts linear – lanceolate, multi-seriate, imbricate aestivation, narrow, exterior gradually shorter, all aristate – acuminate, ciliolate, slightly recurved; actinomorphic, pentamerous, bisexual; unequal.

Calyx : Paleae of the receptacle reaching much above the pappus, narrowly linear, acute, pappus shorter than the achenes, copious, yellowish-brown, sub-paleaceous, unequal.

Corolla: Corolla tube slender, limb deePly 5-fid, 12 – 13 mm long, regular, gamopetalous, purple, valvate aestivation.

Androecium: Stamens 5, epipetalous, syngenesious, filaments papillose, hairy, anther-lobes sagittate with connate auricles, tailsslender, lacerate, dithecous, basifixed, anthers cream coloured.

Gynoecium: Bicarpellary, syncarpous, inferior ovary, unilocular with one ovule on basal placentation, style-arms slender, short with a ring of hairs at the base of the lobes, stigma flat, acute.

Fruit: Achenes glabrous, oblong, smooth, not ribbed.

Flowering period: November – January.

Economic uses: The Plant is used in leucoderma and skin diseases.It is believed to be a nervine tonic and an aphrodisiac.