| Genus |
species |
Ethnobotany
and ecology |
Inflorescences |
Leaves |
| Elephantopus |
angustifolius
Swartz |
Open
savannas from Vera Cruz and West Indies to northern Argentina
and Uruguay |
Solitary,
terminal, of tight, hemispheric, many-headed glomerules
subtended by bracts; pappus of more than 20 puberulent
bristles |
Crowded
near the base forming a rosette, appressed-pubescent with
somewhat silvery strigose trichomes |
|
dilatatus
Gleason |
Riverine
habitats from Costa Rica to the Chocó |
Solitary,
terminal, of tight, hemispheric, many-headed glomerules
subtended by bracts; pappus of fewer than 10 puberulent
bristles |
Clustered,
terminal, more than 7 times longer than wide |
|
mollis
H.B.K. |
Pantropical,
possibly intergrading to E. tomentosus L.; Common names:
yerba de caballo, lengua de vaca, cucha-cara |
Solitary,
terminal, tight, hemispheric, many-headed glomerules subtended
by bracts; pappus of fewer than 10 puberulent bristles |
Cauline,
rarely basal, less than 3.5 times longer than wide |
| Pseudelephantopus |
spicatus
(Juss.) C. F. Baker |
Weedy,
in pastures and clearings, Mexico and the West Indies
to Chile; introduced to East Asia and the Pacific; Common
names: chicoria, suelda consuelda, escobilla blanca,
oreja de perro, oreja de chucho; syrup used to cure coughs;
according to Duke 10849 (San Blas), "candeabsurguit
. . . taken by [the] Cuna in the belief that it is vitamin
rich;" according to Lazor & Correa 3383 (Darién)
may be believed useful in worming cattle |
Several
racemose-spicate branches; heads not in a tight glomerule;
subtending bracts leaf-like; principal pappus bristles
conspicuously doubly bent; achenes more than 5 mm long |
Cauline,
chartaceous, strigose and resin-dotted beneath, merely
hispid above |
|
spiralis
(Less.) Cronq. |
Fields
and waste areas and Lesser Antilles to northern Argentina;
Common name: suelda con suelda |
Several
racemose-spicate branches; heads not in a tight glomerule;
subtending bracts leaf-like; principal pappus bristles
curled or loosely spiraled; achenes less than 5 mm long |
Cauline,
chartaceous, resin-dotted beneath when young, pubescence
at first yellowish |
| Rolandra |
fruticosa
(L.) Kuntze H.B.K. |
Grazed
areas and moist thickets, Honduras and Puerto Rico to
Brazil; Common name: niagrugin, "taken in
teas by [the] Cuna in belief that it will increase their
ability to make 'molas' rapidly," according to Duke
10845 (San Blas, MO) |
Inflorescences
dense 300-400 headed glomerules, essentially ebracteate;
pappus a continuous crown of many persistent, united hyaline
scales 0.15 to 0.30 mm long |
Leaves
muricate-scabridulous above and sparsely white tomentose
beneath |
| Spiracantha |
cornifolia |
Belize
to Venezuela, often poor soil |
Inflorescences
capitate clusters containing 3-11 headed glomerules; bracts
with a sharp mucro; pappus in two series, the other 10
or more hyaline, minutely strigulose scales 0.5 to 1.0
mm long |
Leaves
sharply mucronate and conspicuously white-tomentose beneath |
