Wedelia Jacquem.

Herbs or shrubs, erect, ascending or procumbent with slender or stout and succulent stems and fibrous or stout rootstock. Leaves simple, opposite, dentate or entire. Heads radiate, heterogamous, solitary, terminal or on peduncles among the upper branches. Involucre campanulate; bracts 1 - 2 seriate; outer herbaceous; inner ones membranous. Receptacle flat or slightly convex. Ray florets several, female; corolla yellow or white, entire to 2 - 3 dentate. Ovary compressed; style branches slender, elongte, curved. Disc florets yellow, numerous, bisexual or rarely male, tubular-campanulate, 5-lobed. Anther bases sagittate; apical appendage ovate. Style arms broad, acute or obtuse. Achenes of the ray and disc florets cuneate-obovate, triquetrous or laterally compressed, truncate or rounded at the apex. Pappus cup like or of 1 - 2 weak awns or absent.

In tropical and warm temperate regions of the world; ca 70 species 5 in India.

KEY TO THE SPECIES

1a. Involucral bracts nearly equalling the disc florets

2

b. Involucral bracts much longer than the disc florets

3

2a. Climbing shrubs, 1-3 m tall

1. Wedelia biflora

b. Erect or suberect herbs, 15-60 cm high

3. Wedelia montana

3a. Leaves trilobed, margins toothed

4. Wedelia trilobata

b. Leaves not lobed

4

4a. Leaves subsessile, spathulate-lanceolate, margins entire or feebly serrate

2. Wedelia chinensis

b. Leaves distinctly petioled, ovate, acuminate, serrate

5. Wedelia urticaefolia

List of Lower Taxa