Eclipta prostrata (L.) L.

  • Authority

    Acevedo-Rodríguez, Pedro & collaborators. 1996. Flora of St. John, U.S. Virgin Islands. Mem. New York Bot. Gard. 78: 1-581.

  • Family

    Asteraceae

  • Scientific Name

    Eclipta prostrata (L.) L.

  • Description

    Species Description - Decumbent annual or short-lived perennial herb, to 1 m long, strigose. Leaves 2-11 x 0.4-3 cm, narrowly lanceolate or less commonly elliptic, 3-veined from near base, both surfaces strigose, eglandular, the apex acute to acuminate, the base narrowly cuneate and clasping the stem, the margins serrate to crenate. Inflorescence terminal, of solitary pedunculate heads; peduncles 1-5 cm long. Heads radiate; involucral bracts biseriate, slightly overlapping, 2.5-7 mm long, elliptic to lanceolate, the apex acute to caudate. Ray flowers many; corollas white, 1-2.5 mm long, the limb linear. Disk flowers many; corollas white, 1-2 mm long. Achenes 2-2.5 mm long, essentially glabrous with a few short hairs at apex; pappus of a few inconspicuous teeth or absent.

    Distribution and Ecology - Occasional on open sandy coasts, roadsides, and in waste areas, often where soil is damp or wet. Carolina (A4141), Turner Bay (A3107), Enighed (A3926). Also on St. Croix, St. Thomas, and Tortola; Florida, pantropics.