Lilac tasselflower (Emilia sonchifolia)

Tempuh wiyang or lilac tasselflower (Emilia sonchifolia) is a plant species in Asteraceae, an annual herb, erect and slightly hairy, stems cylindrical and blackish in color, branched, soft stalks, 20-70 cm high, taproot and branched.

E. sonchifolia has lyrate-pinnatilobed leaves, sometimes turning purplish with age. The leaf pattern alternates with winged stalks. The leaves on the rootstock are round or oval, 4-16 cm long and 1-8 cm wide. The leaves on the scion are smaller and often coarsely toothed.

Inflorescences are often dichotomous with 3-6 heads, stems and bracts coiled below. The flower heads are urn-shaped, having 30-60 florets per head, the outer florets are female and the inner disc florets are bisexual.

Flowers are purple or dark red or pink or orange or white or purple. The fruit is oval in shape, reddish-brown or off-white in color, has white hairs up to 8 mm long and exhibits non-cracking properties when dry.

This species completes its life cycle in about 90 days. Most seeds germinate at 27C. Plants only emerge from seeds near the surface, but some seeds can germinate (4%) when buried as deep as 4 cm. The seeds carry a hairy pappus indicating the use of wind as a dispersal agent.

This plant grows at elevations of 0-1000 meters in a wide range of conditions from the tropics to grasslands, waste areas, roadsides and partially shaded areas. Tolerant in acidic conditions. This species is used in traditional medicine for the treatment of fever, sore throat, diarrhea, eczema and as an antidote to snake bites.

Kingdom Plantae
Phylum Tracheophyta
Subphylum Angiospermae
Class Magnoliopsida
Order Asterales
Family Asteraceae
Subfamily Asteroideae
Tribe Senecioneae
Subtribe Senecioninae
Genus Emilia
Species: Emilia sonchifolia
Variety: Emilia sonchifolia var. lanceolata, Emilia sonchifolia var. sonchifolia

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