* Botanical name: Sphagneticola trilobata
*Family : Asteraceae
*Location :Swaminarayan Chhapaiya Gonda District Uttar Pradesh India
DESCRIPTION AND ETHNOBOTANY
Growth Form Herbaceous creeping perennial shrub, up to 70cm height, forms dense mounded mats over ground.
Foliage Leaves glossy green, paler green below, with simple coarse white hairs, serrated margins, sometimes with a pair of lateral lobes.
Stems Rounded, rooting at nodes, stolons up to 2m in length or more.
Flowers Borne on solitary or branched inflorescences, ray florets yellow (8-13 per head), central disc florets yellow and tubular, flowers freely produced throughout the year in warm tropics.
Fruits 3-cornered nuts, very small (3 - 5mm), with corky covering and topped by short scales, mature from green to brown, dispersed by water. Plant seldom sets fertile seed under local conditions.
Others - Plant Morphology Note: Avoid using prunings to make garden compost, as live and dead plant matter contains defensive allelopathic compounds that inhibit growth and germination of other plants. Regarded as invasive in tropics due to fast growth and difficulty of eradication. Listed amongst top 100 of world's worst alien species by IUCN. Escaped from cultivation and has become naturalized in many parts of the world, forming dense infestations in disturbed sites. All plant parts contain ivalin, toxic to mammals when ingested and known to result in aborted fetuses in farm animals.Ethymology: Genus epithet 'Sphagneticola' means 'Sphagnum dweller', a possible reference to the plant being able to survive in waterlogged or flooded sites. Species epithet 'trilobata' describes the 3-lobed leaves. Popularly known as Singapore Daisy (or Singapore Weed) in Australia, although plant is native to tropical America.
Cultivation Prefers full sun but also performs well in shady conditions. Very adaptable to wide range of soil types, including nutrient-poor sand, saline soils, swampy or waterlogged areas, and bare limestone. Tolerant of dry periods and periodic innudation. Fast growth may smother nearby groundcovers, so plant should be pruned back regularly. Easily propagated by stem cuttings and stolons.
Ethnobotanical Uses Food (Herb and Spice)
[Others]: Paste of mashed leaves applied to joints to relieve arthritis and rheumatic symptoms. Crushed leaves used as poultice or drunk as tea to treat colds, flu, fever and inflammation. Caution: Should not be consumed by pregnant women, due to possibilty of miscarriage.
Consult Doctor before use.
Shivam Maddhesiya
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