Wedelia chinensis

Wedelia chinensis (Osbeck) Merr. in Philip. Journ. Sci.. 12: 111, 1917; Grierson, in Dassan. & Forsb. Rev. Handb. Fl. Ceylon 1: 215, 1980.

FAMILY: ASTERACEAE

Morphological characters :

Habit: A perennial herb.

Stem: Stem procumbent at the base, terete, watey, striate, glabrous, hairy.

Leaves: Leaves simple, large, opposite, exstipulate, petiolate 0.3cm, pubescent, simple, spathulate-lanceolate, 5.1 x 2.7 cm long; irregularely serrate, acute apex, base tapering, scabrous, hairy; unicostate reticulte venation.

Inflorescence: Heads solitary, 2cm across, heterogymous, rayed.

Flower: Flower bracteate; involucre bracts herbaceous, slightly obovate, much longer than the disk flowers, hairy, bracts in 2-serriate, outer oblong, acute; inner lanceolate, acute; peduncles 4.7 cm long, erect, slender, slightly thickened beneath the heads, hairy.

Ray Floret: Ligulate, ligules yellow, 3-toothed at the apex, female, fertile, zygomorphic, incomplete; stigma bifid, yellow.

Disc Floret: Tubular, peatals 5, pappus reduced to scales. Flower regular, gamopetalous, valvate, actinomorphic, bisexual, penatamerous; stamens 5, epipetalous, syngenesious, filaments short, dithecous, basifixed, introrse, anthers dark brown, bicarpellary, syncarpous, inferior oavary, unilocular, one ovule in the locule, basal placentation, style long, stigma bifid, yellow.

Fruit: Achenes compressed, pubescent.

Flowering period: Throughout the year

Economic uses: Cultivated in gardens for its showy flowers.