Galinsoga Ruiz & Pavon

Herbs, erect, annual, decumbent or procumbent; stems branched, sparsely to densely pubescent, often rooting at the lower nodes. Leaves simple, opposite, narrowly oblong to broadly ovate, entire to dentate-serrate, pubescent or glabrous, sessile or petiolate. Heads radiate or discoid; peduncles slender, pilose to glandular hairy. Involucral bracts biseriate; outer glandular hairy or pilose or glabrous; inner with purplish-red tip, glabrous to pilose, margins entire or slightly laciniate. Receptacle conical to convex, paleate, the inner ones persistant. Ray florets fertile; corolla white, trifid or trilobed; tube pubescent. Style bifid; branches recurved. Disc florets many, fertile; corolla yellow or yellow-green, tubular to campanulate, 5 lobed, acute, erect or reflexed; tube hairy or glabrous. Anthers sagittate. Style branches recurved. Ray achenes black, turbinate, often compressed, glabrous or hispid. Pappus coroniform or of short scales on the side of the achene. Disc black, achenes narrowly turbinate, subterete, glabrous or hispid. Pappus of 8 - 20 linear- lanceolate, ovate-obovate, fimbriate, ciliate or lacinate scales.

Distributed all over the new world; ca 16 species, 2 in India.

Literature. CANNE, J.M. (1977). A revision of the genus Galinsoga (Compositae: Heliantheae). Rhodora 79: 319-389. CANNE, J.M. (1978). Circumscription and generic relationship of Galinsoga (Compositae: Heliantheae). Madrono 25(2): 81-88 .

KEY TO THE SPECIES

1a. Stems densely glandular hairy; ray florets 5-8 mm long; pales of the disc florets entire; pappul scales awn tipped

2. Galinsoga quadriradiata

b. Stems glabrescent; ray florets not exceeding 4 mm; pales of the disc florets 2-3 fid; pappus scales not awn tipped

1. Galinsoga parviflora

List of Lower Taxa