假飞蓬 jia fei peng

Conyza viscosa Miller, Gard. Dict., ed. 8, Conyza no. 8. 1768.

Herbs, to 1 m tall, erect, sometimes branched at base, usually branched on upper part of stem; culms cylindric, villous and glandular. Leaves alternate, sessile, oblanceolate-ovate to obovate, 1-8 cm, both surfaces villous, parted or not, base cuneate to attenuate, margin serrate to doubly serrate, apex rounded to acute. Capitula terminal and axillary, 8-9 × 4-6 mm, in lax corymbs or cymose panicles, branches leafy. Involucre 4-seriate, margin entire or pilose, apex acuminate; outer phyllaries lanceolate, 2.5-5 mm, abaxially villous and glandular, adaxially glabrous to sparsely villous, innermost linear, central part glabrous to sparsely villous, margin membranous, 1-veined, ca. 8 mm. Receptacle concave, glabrous. Marginal disk florets numerous, female and fertile; corolla whitish to pale purplish, filiform, 3.5-4.5 mm; stigma exposed, 0.5-1 mm. Central disk florets fewer than 10 per capitulum, bisexual and fertile; corolla whitish to pale purplish, tubular, ca. 4.5 mm, 5-lobed, lobes ca. 0.5 mm; anthers obtuse at apex, shortly tailed at base; style sparsely pilose, stigma bifid, extracted. Achenes cylindric, 10-ribbed, sparsely pilose; carpopodium a broad circle, conspicuous. Pappus white, 4-5 mm. Fl. Jan-Apr.

Grows as a weed and also in disturbed lowland habitat. Taiwan [India, Pakistan; Africa, SW Asia, Central America].