Lilac tasselflower (Emilia sonchifolia)

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.

TAXON

Kingdom: Plantae
Phylum: Tracheophyta
Subphylum: Angiospermae
Class: Magnoliopsida
Order: Asterales
Family: Asteraceae
Subfamily: Asteroideae
Tribe: Senecioneae
Subtribe: Senecioninae
Genus: Emilia Cass. in Bull. Sci. Soc. Philom. Paris 1817: 68 (1817)
Species: Emilia sonchifolia (L.) DC. in R.Wight, Contr. Bot. India: 24 (1834)
Variety: Emilia sonchifolia var. lanceolata Tjitr., Emilia sonchifolia var. mucronata C.B.Clarke, Emilia sonchifolia var. sonchifolia

HOMOTYPIC SYNONYMS

Cacalia sonchifolia L. in Sp. Pl.: 835 (1753)
Crassocephalum sonchifolium (L.) Less. in Syn. Gen. Compos.: 395 (1832)
Emilia sonchifolia var. typica Domin in Biblioth. Bot. 22: 1240 (1930)

PUBLICATIONS

Balkrishna, A. (2018). Flora of Morni Hills (Research & Possibilities): 1-581. Divya Yoga Mandir Trust.

Barooah, C. & Ahmed, I. (2014). Plant diversity of Assam. A checklist of Angiosperms and Gymnosperms: 1-599. Assam science technology and environment council, India.

Barthelat, F. (2019). La flore illustrée de Mayotte: 1-687. Biotope éditions.

Beentje, H.J. (2021). Flore du Gabon 56: 1-148. Muséum National D'Histoire Naturelle, Paris; Margraf Publishers, Weikersheim; Meise Botanic Garden.

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.

Gosline, G., Bidault, E., van der Burgt, X., Cahen, D., Challen, G., Condé, N., Couch, C., Couvreur, T.L.P., Dagallier, L.M.J., Darbyshire, I., Dawson, S., Doré, T.S., Goyder, D., Grall, A., Haba, P., Haba, P., Harris, D., Hind, D.J.N., Jongkind, & al. (2023). A Taxonomically-verified and Vouchered Checklist of the Vascular Plants of the Republic of Guinea. Nature, scientific data 10, Article number: 327: [1]-[12].

Karthigeyan, K., Pandey, R.P. & Mao, A.A. (eds.) (2023). Flora of Andaman and Nicobar Islands 2: 1-689. Botanical Survey of India. Ministry of environment, forest and climate change.

Kiew, R. & al. (eds.) (2021). Malayan Forest Records 49: 1-403.

Kotiya, A., Solanki, Y. & Reddy, G.V. (2020). Flora of Rajasthan: 1-769. Rajasthan state biodiversity board.

Koyama, H., Bunwong, S., Pornpongrungrueng, P. & Hind, D.J.N. (2016). Flora of Thailand 13(2): 143-428. The Forest Herbarium, Royal Forest Department.

Liogier, A.H. (1996). Flora de la Española 8: 1-588. Instituto Tecnológico de Santo Domingo.

Mao, A.A. & Dash, S.S. (2020). Flowering Plants of India an Annotated Checklist (Dicotyledons) 1: 1-970. Botanical Survey of India.

Plunkett, G.M., Ranker, T.A., Sam, C. & Balick, M.J. (2022). Towards a checklist of the vascular flora of Vanuatu. Candollea 77: 105-118.

Prakash, L. & Balasubramanian, P. (2018). Invasive alien flora of Sathyamangalam Tiger Reserve in Southern Eastern Ghats, India. Indian Forester 144: 857-862.

Pruski, J.F. (ed.) (2018). Flora Mesoamericana 5(2): 1-608. Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, México, D.F.

Roskov Y. & al. (eds.) (2018). Species 2000 & ITIS Catalogue of Life Naturalis, Leiden, the Netherlands.

Sarder, N.U. & Hassan, M.A. (eds.) (2018). Vascular flora of Chittagong and the Chittagong Hill Tracts 3: 1-978. Bangladesh National Herbarium, Dhaka.

Turner, I.M. (1995). A catalogue of the Vascular Plants of Malaya. Gardens' Bulletin Singapore 47(1): 1-346.

Whistler, W.A. (2022). Flora of Samoa Flowering Plants: 1-930. National Tropical Botanicl Garden. Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History.

VERNACULAR NAME

Assamese: Bonkapahua
Bengali: সাধিমোদি - সাচিমোদি Sadhimodi, Sachimodi
Chinese (simplified): 一点红
Chinese (traditional): 一點紅
English: Lilac tasselflower, Emilia, Cupid's shaving brush, Purple sow thistle, Flora's paint brush, Red tassel-flower
Finnish: Valvattiemilia
French: Émilie à feuilles de laîteron, Petit lastron, Goutte de sang, Lastron bâtard
Halmahera: Kaho mahiri
Hindi: हिरणखुरी - हिरणकुरी - किरणकुरी Hirankhuri, Hirankuri, Kirankuri
Indonesian: Tempuh Wiyang
Japanese: ウスベニニガナ
Java: Kemendhilan, Kemondelan, Dalgiu, Centongan, Tespog, Serubung gelang, minyawon, Ketiu, Jawi rawa
Kannada: Ili kivi gida, Elikivi gida, Elikivisoppu, Jumki hoo
Madura: Sarap, Sundilan
Malayalam: Elichevianveru, Muyalchevian, Muyalccevi, Mulshevi, Orichozhiyan
Manipuri: Tera paibi macha
Marathi: Sadamandee, Panom, undrachi
Nepali: मुला पाटे - चौलाने झर Mula pate, Chaulaane Jhaar
Oria: Sarkara
Oriya: Binj-kudo
Portuguese: Serralhinha, Flor-pincel
Russian: Эмилия осотолистная
Sanskrit: Sasasruti, Sasasrutih, Shashashrutih
Sinhala: මුයල්චෙවි - මායර්චෙවි
Spanish: Pincel
Sulawesi: Linrapa, Halmah
Sunda: Jonghe, Jombang
Tamil: முயால்செவி - மயார்செவி Muyalccevi, Mayarcevi
Tangkhul: Revival macha
Ternate: Gafu saru
Thai: หูปลาช่อน
Tidore: Delo-delo
Wonosobo: Kemendhilan

Aryo Bandoro
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