粘冠草 nian guan cao

Myriactis javanica Candolle; M. wightii var. cordata Y. Ling & C. Shih.

Herbs, annual, 20-90 cm tall. Stems erect, usually branched from middle, rarely proximally, or simple, subscapose, branches ascending or spreading, densely to sparsely villous or glabrate in lower part. Leaves often with axillary branches or fascicled; lower blade ovate, or sometimes lyrate-pinnatilobate, terminal lobe ovate; mid cauline petiole ± broadly winged, blade broadly to narrowly ovate, 5-8 × 3-6 cm, rarely lyrate-pinnatilobate, terminal lobe same shape as blade, surfaces villous to strigose-villous or villous only along veins, base clasping or auriculate-clasping, margin deeply crenate or serrate or incised-serrate, entire in uppermost leaves or lateral lobes. Capitula few or numerous in terminal, laxly corymbiform or paniculate-corymbiform and lateral, laxly racemiform synflorescences; peduncle 0.4-5 cm. Involucre hemispheric, ca. 1.2 cm in diam. (in fruit); phyllaries 2(or 3)-seriate, subequal, narrowly oblong to lanceolate, 3-4 mm, abaxially sparsely villous to glabrate, apex fimbriate-lacerate. Ray florets 2-seriate, tube ca. 0.4 mm, glandular, lamina linear, 0.8-1 × 0.1-0.2 mm, apex obtuse, sometimes 2-lobed; disk florets tube cylindric, ca. 0.4 mm, limb campanulate, 0.8-1 mm, 5-lobed, glabrous or base of limb barely glandular. Achenes greenish to pale brown, 1.5-2.5 mm. Fl. and fr. Jul-Nov.

Forests on slopes, mixed forests, grasslands, streamsides; 1900-3600 m. Guizhou, Sichuan, Xizang, Yunnan [India, Indonesia, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Vietnam].

Myriactis wightii var. cordata (FRPS 74: 355. 1985), defined on the basis of mid cauline leaf bases, does not appear to warrant recognition.