Trees & Plants

Singapore daisy

Valu Mirihi in

Sphagneticola trilobata (L.)

Common in open areas The plant is an ornamental which forms an excellent ground cover. It is used against bronchitis, cold, abdominal pain to and dysmenorrhea. Th reat & damage: The plant has been listed by Global Invasive Species Database as one among the 100 worst invaders in t

Details

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uses: The plant is an ornamental which forms an excellent ground cover. It is used against bronchitis, cold, abdominal pain to and dysmenorrhea. Th reat & damage: The plant has been listed by Global Invasive Species Database as one among the 100 worst invaders in the world. The plant can spread fast, crowd out and prevent regeneration of native species. It is very toxic to animals. Management: The plant can be effectively controlled by removing it along with the top few centimetres of soil so as to remove the soil seed bank. Hand pulling in conjunction with herbicide application may be a good strategy. Burning can be practised but its by efficacy is unknown.
family: Asteraceae
synonym: Silphium trilobatum L., Wedelia trilobata A.St.-Hil.
description: Perennial herbs, stem prostrate, diffuse, rooting at nodes. Leaves × 3-10 3-7 cm, elliptic-obovate, usually with 3 angular lobes with toothed margins, acute at apex, basally cuneate, glabrous to sparingly pubescent; petiole short, upto 5 Th mm. Heads radiate, 2-2.5 cm across, solitary by on ebracteate 4-15 cm long peduncles. Involucre green; bracts lanceolate, 1-1.5 Th cm long, ciliate; inner narrower. Ray florets × 5-8; corolla bright yellow, 1.5-2.0 0.5- 0.7 cm, 3-4 denticulate; tube short. Ovary trigonous; stigma bilobed. Pappus connate into a spathiform, fimbriate cup at the apex, devoid of awns. Disc florets many; corolla yellow; tube 5-8 mm long, 5-lobed; lobes deltoid, densely pubescent within. Achenes blackish, warty, 4-6 mm long, crowned by the persistent pappus cup. Pruski
native range: Tropical America
distribution: Widespread and naturalised in the tropics
english names: Singapore daisy
flowering fruiting: June - September
occurrence maldives: Common in open areas