Adenostemma lavenia (L.) Kuntze

Family Description

Annual, biennial or perennial herbs, sometimes shrubs, rarely trees, tissues sometimes containing milky sap, glabrous, pubescent, tomentose, spinous or variously sessile- or stipitate-glandular. Leaves alternate or sometimes opposite, exstipulate (but sometimes with stipuliform appendages), entire, toothed, lobed or variously dissected. Individual flowers usually numerous, aggregated and ± sessile (briefly immersed to very shortly stipitate) on a common receptacle and surrunded by an involucre of 1-many series of phyllaries (involucral bracts),the whole comprising a capitulum; phyllaries free, rarely connate; capitula solitary to very many, rarely agreegrated into secondary capitulum-like glomerules.Receptable sometimes bearing paleae (scales), hairs or bristles.Flowers (florets)epigynous, bisexual, female, m ale(at least functionally so) or neuter (sterile). Calyx absent, often replaced on apex of ovary by a pappus of 1 or more series of bristles and / orscales. Corolla gamopetalous, tabular throughout or dilated or 1(-2)-lipped above,variously truncate or 1-5-toothed at apex (appices); rarely corolla absent. Stamens (1-)5, epipetalous, filaments free anthers laterally connate into a cylinder around style (free in one species). Ovary inferior, 1-celled with one basal ovule; style usually divided above into two branches, sometimes entire on male flowers, emerging through anther cylinder, first collecting and exposing pollen,later exposing stigmatic surfaces if bisexual. Fruit an achene (cypsela) usually bearing a persistent or deciduous pappus; pappus sessile or borne on a beak(rostrum).

Genus Description

Erect annual perennial herbs. Leaves opposite or the uppermost subopposite. 3-veined, petiolate or sessile. Inflorescence terminal, loose, paniculate, ± corymbose. Capitula discoid. Involucres broadly campanulate; phyllaries 2-seriate, herbaceous, subequal, connate at base. Receptacle naked. Flowers 20-40. Corolla tubular-campanulate; yube-glandular-hairy; lobes pubescent. Anthers gland-tipped. Style branches clavate, exserted, prominent. Achenes obovoid 3-5 angular, verrucose or glandular tuberculate. Pappus of 3-4 smooth, clavate, galnd-tipped bristles.

Species description

Differs from A. angustifolium by stems to 1m, sparsely pubescent; leaves ovate, 5-22 x 1.5-12cm, acuminate, base obtuse to sub cordate, narrowly decurrent on 1-5cm petiole or the upper moat sessile, margins coarsely seriate, sparsely pubescent on both surfaces, Involucre 5-7mm diameter in flower; phyllaries 2.5-4.5 x 1-2mm, face and margins usually more hairy; corollas 2.5mm, lobes white or pink , or densely pubescent; Achenes 3.5mm, with more prominent grandular tubercules; pappus 0.5mm.