Elephantopus mollis Kunth

Compositae, G. V. Pope. Flora Zambesiaca 6:1. 1992

Morphology General Habit

An erect hirsute perennial herb to c. 40 cm. tall, with annual stems from a small vertical woody rootstock.

Morphology Stem

Stems mostly solitary, shortly branched above, striate, leafy throughout but with leaves usually more crowded below, sparsely to densely hispid with patent hairs 1–2 mm. long, ± strigose on upper stem and branches.

Morphology Leaves

Leaves usually subsessile, mostly 7–15(26) x 2–5(7) cm., obovate-oblanceolate to oblong-oblanceolate, narrowly cuneate or sometimes the midrib narrowly winged and petiole-like, ± stem-clasping and ± stem-sheathing at the base, margins ± crenulate with callose-tipped teeth, scabridulous with scattered bristle-like hairs on both surfaces, the hairs usually most numerous on the prominent midrib and venation beneath, lamina somewhat chartaceous sometimes bullate in older leaves, minutely glandular beneath; upper cauline leaves grading into foliaceous bracts, bracts not conduplicate.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Capitulum

Capitula sessile, crowded in glomerules 1–2 cm. in diam.; glomerules terminal on few-many short synflorescence branches, or sometimes several glomerules ± scorpioidly arranged along a branch, glomerule-subtending bracts 2–4, ovate, leaf-like, ± equalling the glomerules in length.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Florets

Florets c. 4 per capitulum.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Bracts Involucre

Involucres to c. 10 x 2–3 mm., narrowly ovoid-cylindric; phyllaries few-seriate, ovate to oblong-lanceolate, chartaceous to ± cartilaginous with pungent apices, margins membranous, sparsely hispid in the upper part or glabrescent, the inner 4 phyllaries 7–9 mm. long and nearly twice as long as the outer.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla

Corollas white, 5–6 mm. long, consisting of a slender tube and a short campanulate deeply-lobed limb, more deeply cleft on one side, glabrous.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits

Achenes 3–4 mm. long, narrowly turbinate-cylindric, c. 10-ribbed, setulose; pappus elements usually 5, c. 4 mm. long, very shortly scale-like at the base and abruptly tapered into a long barbellate apical seta.

Bernal, R., Gradstein, S.R. & Celis, M. (eds.). 2015. Catálogo de plantas y líquenes de Colombia. Instituto de Ciencias Naturales, Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Bogotá. http://catalogoplantasdecolombia.unal.edu.co

Distribution

Nativa en Colombia; Alt. 0 - 2500 m.; Andes, Guayana y Serranía de La Macarena, Orinoquia, Pacífico.

Morphology General Habit

Arbusto

Conservation

No Evaluada

Bernal, R., G. Galeano, A. Rodríguez, H. Sarmiento y M. Gutiérrez. 2017. Nombres Comunes de las Plantas de Colombia. http://www.biovirtual.unal.edu.co/nombrescomunes/

Vernacular

colaepuerco, coleburro, estancadera, frenteloro, hierba de puerco, oreja de puerco, orejemula, pastel, quebradura, rabo de puerco, rabo de zorro, raboemarrano, suelda, suelda de marrano, suelda marranera, sueldaconsuelda, sueldaconsuelda mayor, totumillo, totumito, totumo, yerba de caballo, yerba de puerco, yerba de sapo

Compositae, H. Beentje, C. Jeffrey & D.J.N. Hind. Flora of Tropical East Africa. 2005

Morphology General Habit

Perennial herb with a few basal leaves and leafy annual stems, 40–85 cm high, from a small vertical woody rootstock; stems solitary, sparsely hispid with spreading and ascending hairs.

Morphology Leaves

Leaves subsessile, oblanceolate or broadly so, 6.5–15(–26) cm long, 2–5(–7) cm wide, cuneate to attenuate into a petioloid base, the very base clasping and ± sheathing the stem, crenate-serrate or serrulate, acute, sparsely scabridulous.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences

Glomerules 1–2 cm in diameter, numerous in lax thysoid compound cymes; inflorescence branches slender, ascending, bearing elliptic reduced leaves at the nodes; outer bracts of glomerules 2–5, broadly ovate to lanceolate, acuminate, 0.7–1.2 cm long; involucre to 10 mm long; phyllaries 8, lanceolate, acute, 6.5–9.5 mm long.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers

Corolla white, 5–6 mm long, glabrous.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits

Achenes 3–4 mm long, 10-ribbed, finely ascending-pubescent; pappus of 5–6 setae expanded at the very base, 4–5 mm long.

Habitat

A native of the neotropics widely naturalised in Africa; no East African habitat data but presumably in ruderal or grassy places in the wooded grassland zone, or in forest margins.

Distribution

T6 U1 pantropical

The Useful Plants of Boyacá project

Distribution

Native from Colombia.

Ecology

Alt. 0 - 2500 m.

Distribution

Biogeografic region: Andean, Guiana Shield, Orinoquia, Pacific. Elevation range: 0–2500 m a.s.l. Native to Colombia. Colombian departments: Amazonas, Antioquia, Bolívar, Boyacá, Caldas, Casanare, Cauca, Cesar, Chocó, Cundinamarca, Huila, Magdalena, Meta, Nariño, Norte de Santander, Quindío, Risaralda, Santander, Tolima, Valle del Cauca, Vaupés, Vichada. Native to Colombia.

Habit

Shrub.

Conservation

National Red List of Colombia (2021): Potential LC.

Ecology

Habitat according IUCN Habitats Classification: forest and woodland, savanna, shrubland, native grassland, wetlands (inland), artificial - terrestrial.

Vernacular

Chicoria, Suelda, Suelda consuelda, Yerba de caballo

Compositae, C. D. Adams. Flora of West Tropical Africa 2. 1963

Morphology General Habit

An erect branched coarsely hairy perennial herb with wrinkled leaves; usually 2-4 ft. high, but exceptionally up to 8 ft.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Florets

Florets small, white, in bracteate heads up to 3/4 in. across

Ecology

In open grassy places in woodlands, savanna, fringing forest, and sometimes cultivated land.

Bernal, R., Gradstein, S.R. & Celis, M. (eds.). 2015. Catálogo de plantas y líquenes de Colombia. Instituto de Ciencias Naturales, Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Bogotá. http://catalogoplantasdecolombia.unal.edu.co

Distribution

Colombia

Use Food

Used for food.

Use Medicines

Medical uses.