Gomphrena weed (Gomphrena serrata) is a species of plant in the Amaranthaceae, an annual or short-lived herb with a deep taproot, often matting in dense colonies and a cosmopolitan pioneer plant in disturbed areas.
G. serrata has erect stems or fallen, cylindrical, green and white hair. The leaves are elliptical in shape, short hairy stalks, pubescent, 3-4 cm long, green, a main vein in the middle and several small pinnate veins.
Flowers on terminal spikes, dense and growing in woolen containers. The perianth segments are thin, 4-6 mm long, shiny and whitish to pink in color. The flower has 2 stigmas and 5 stamens which are inserted opposite the sepals and join into a staminal tube with 5 teeth.
Single seed fruit. Seeds are 1.5 mm long, brown and shiny. The plant is used in traditional medicine for its nutritional qualities and for the treatment of various disorders such as digestive and respiratory problems, skin infections, some infectious diseases, and as an abortion.
TAXON
Kingdom: Plantae
Phylum: Tracheophyta
Subphylum: Angiospermae
Class: Magnoliopsida
Order: Caryophyllales
Family: Amaranthaceae
Subfamily: Gomphrenoideae
Genus: Gomphrena L. in Sp. Pl.: 224 (1753)
Species: Gomphrena serrata L. in Sp. Pl.: 224 (1753)
HOMOTYPIC SYNONYMS
Xeraea serrata (L.) Kuntze in Revis. Gen. Pl. 2: 543 (1891)
HETEROTYPIC SYNONYMS
Achyranthes ternata Host ex Fisch., C.A.Mey. & Avé-Lall. in Index Seminum (LE, Petropolitanus) 9(Suppl.): 12 (1844)
Amaranthoides decumbens (Jacq.) M.Gómez in Anales Inst. Segunda Enseñ. 2: 313 (1896)
Celosia decumbens Moq. in A.P.de Candolle, Prodr. 13(2): 410 (1849)
Celosia procumbens Moq. (1849)
Celosia prostrata Moq. (1849)
Gomphrena argentea Moq. (1849)
Gomphrena bicolor Moq. (1849)
Gomphrena decumbens Jacq. in Pl. Hort. Schoenbr. 4: t. 482 (1804)
Gomphrena decumbens subf. costaricensis Stuchlík in Repert. Spec. Nov. Regni Veg. 12: 520 (1913)
Gomphrena decumbens f. erecta Stuchlík in Repert. Spec. Nov. Regni Veg. 11: 157 (1912)
Gomphrena decumbens f. foliatissima Stuchlík (1913)
Gomphrena decumbens subvar. genuina Stuchlík (1913)
Gomphrena decumbens var. genuina Stuchlík (1912)
Gomphrena decumbens f. lanceolata Stuchlík (1912)
Gomphrena decumbens f. magnifolia Stuchlík (1912)
Gomphrena decumbens subvar. nitida Stuchlík (1912)
Gomphrena decumbens f. nitida Stuchlík (1913)
Gomphrena decumbens f. obovata Stuchlík (1912)
Gomphrena decumbens subvar. parvifolia Stuchlík (1913)
Gomphrena decumbens var. pringlei Stuchlík (1912)
Gomphrena decumbens subf. spathulata Stuchlík (1912)
Gomphrena diffusa Pav. ex Moq. (1849)
Gomphrena dispersa Standl. in Contr. U.S. Natl. Herb. 18: 91 (1916)
Gomphrena flava Pav. ex Moq. (1849)
Gomphrena ixiamensis Rusby in Bull. New York Bot. Gard. 6: 502 (1910)
Gomphrena lancifolia Pav. ex Moq. (1849)
Gomphrena perennis f. simplex Stuchlík (1912)
Gomphrena prostrata Desf. in Tabl. École Bot.: 219 (1804)
Gomphrena trispicata Pav. ex Moq. (1849)
Xeraea decumbens (Jacq.) Kuntze (1891)
Xeraea lancifolia (Pav. ex Moq.) Kuntze (1891)
PUBLICATIONS
Acevedo-Rodríguez, P. & Strong, M.T. (2012). Catalogue of seed plants of the West Indies. Smithsonian Contributions to Botany 98: 1-1192.
Allen, C.M., Hampton, R. & Early, B. (2011). Gomphrena serrata (Amaranthaceae) new to the flora of Louisiana. Journal of the Botanical Research Institute of Texas 5: 341.
Baksh-Comeau, Y., Maharaj, S.S., Adams, C.D., Harris, S.A., Filer, D.L. & Hawthorne, W.D. (2016). An annotated checklist of the vascular plants of Trinidad and Tobago with analysis of vegetation types and botanical 'hotspots'. Phytotaxa 250: 1-431.
Balick, M. J., M. H. Nee & D.E. Atha (2000). Checklist of the vascular plants of Belize. Memoirs of the New York Botanical Garden 85: 1-246.
Bhellum, B.L. (2012). Flora exotica of Jammu and Kashmir (List- I). Journal of Economic and Taxonomic Botany 36: 33-45.
Flora of North America Editorial Committee (2003). Flora of North America North of Mexico 4: 1-559. Oxford University Press, New York, Oxford.
Fosberg, F.R., Sachet, M.-H., Oliver, R. (1979). A geographical checklist of the Micronesian Dicotyledonae. Micronesica; Journal of the College of Guam 15: 41-295.
Garcia-Mendoza, A.J. & Meave, J.A. (eds.) (2012). Diversidad florística de Oaxaca: de musgos a angiospermas (colecciones y listas de especies), ed. 2: 1-351. Instituto de Biología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México.
Govaerts, R. (2003). World Checklist of Seed Plants Database in ACCESS Genera starting with letter G: 1-40325.
Gutiérrez, J. & Solano, E. (2014). Afinidades florísticas y fitogeográficas de la vegetación del municipio de San José Iturbide, Guanajuato, México. Acta Botanica Mexicana 107: 27-65. Instituto de Ecología A.C.
Hokche, O., Berry, P.E. & Huber, O. (eds.) (2008). Nuevo Catálogo de la Flora Vascular de Venezuela: 1-859. Fundación Instituto Botánico de Venezuela.
Knapp, W.M. & Naczi, R.F.C. (2021). Vascular plants of Maryland, USA. A comprehensive account of the state's botanical diversity. Smithsonian Contributions to Botany 113: 1-151.
Kral, R., Diamond, A.R., Ginzbarg, S.L., Hansen, C.J., Haynes, R.R., Keener, B.R., Lelong, M.G., Spaulding, D.D. & Woods, M. (2011). Annotated checklist of the vascular plants of Alabama: 1-112. Botanical reseach institute of Texas.
López Patiño, E.J., Szeszko, D.R., Rascala Pérez, J. & Beltrán Retis, A.S. (2012). The flora of the Tenacingo-Malinalco-Zumpahuacán protected natural area, state of Mexico, Mexico. Harvard Papers in Botany 17: 65-167.
Meena, S.L. (2012). A checklist of the vascular plants of Banaskantha district, Gujarat, India. Nelumbo 54: 39-91.
Nelson Sutherland, C.H. (2008). Catálogo de las plantes vasculares de Honduras. Espermatofitas: 1-1576. SERNA/Guaymuras, Tegucigalpa, Honduras.
Pasha, M.K. & Uddin, S.B. (2013). Dictionary of plant names of Bangladesh, Vasc. Pl.: 1-434. Janokalyan Prokashani, Chittagong, Bangladesh.
Prakash, L. & Balasubramanian, P. (2018). Invasive alien flora of Sathyamangalam Tiger Reserve in Southern Eastern Ghats, India. Indian Forester 144: 857-862.
Sánchez-del Pino, I., Espadas, C. & Pool, R. (2013). Taxonomy and richness of nine genera of Amaranthaceae s.s. (Caryophyllales) in the Yucatan peninsula biotic province. Phytotaxa 107: 1-74.
Villaseñor, J.L. (2016). Checklist of the native vascular plants of Mexico. Revista Mexicana de Biodiversidad 87: 559-902.
Zumaya-Mendoza, S. & Sánchez-del Pino, I. (2015). Flora del Valle de Tehuacán-Cuicatlán 133: 1-63. Instituto de Biología, Universidad Nacional Autónomica de México.
VERNACULAR NAME
Aceh: Tombol kapah
Batak: Tombol kapas
Bengali: সুতির বোতাম - গ্যাডি পুলু Sutira bōtāma, Gyāḍi pulu
Burmese: ချည်သားခလုတ်များ Hkyai sarr hkalote myarr
English: Gomphrena weed, Cotton button, Wild globe amaranth, Prostrate globe amaranth
Hindi: कॉटन बटन - गड्डी पूलू Kotan batan, Gaddee pooloo
Indonesia: Kancing kapas
Java: Benik kapas
Kannada: Adike hūvu, Nelarudrākṣi
Khmer: ប៊ូតុងកប្បាស Boutong kabbas
Lao: ກະດຸມຝ້າຍ Ka dum fai
Melayu: Butang kapas
Nepal: सुती बटनहरू - गड्डी पूलु Sutī baṭanaharū, Gaḍḍī pūlu
Pashto: د کاټن تڼۍ Da katan tanrhi
Sinhala: කපු බොත්තම් - ගැඩී පූලු Kapu bottam, Gæḍī pūlu
Sunda: Kancing katun
Tamil: பருத்தி பொத்தான்கள் - காடி பூலு Parutti pottāṉkaḷ, Kāṭi pūlu
Telugu: Gaḍḍi pūlū
Thai: กระดุมผ้าฝ้าย
Urdu: کپاس کے بٹن Kapas ke batn
Vietnam: Nút bông
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