The World Flora Online

Por Sterling C. Keeley

Elephantopus mollis Kunth in Humb., Bonpl. & Kunth, Nov. Gen. Sp., ed. folio, 4: 20. 1818; E. carolinianus var. mollis (Kunth) Beurl.; E. hypomalacus S.F. Blake.

Hierbas perennes, robustas, 0.3–1.5 m de alto, erectas; ramas pilosas, hirsutas o vellosas. Hojas alternas y/o basales, oblanceoladas, oblongas a obovadas o espatuladas, 7–22 cm de largo y 2–7 cm de ancho, ápice obtuso, agudo o cortamente acuminado, base atenuada, abrazadora, márgenes subenteros a crenados, más obscuros, escasamente pilosas y frecuentemente escabrosas en la haz, resinoso-punteadas y densamente puberulentas o velutino-pilosas en el envés; pecíolos indistintamente ensanchados en la base y abrazadores. Capitulescencias solitarias, terminales, en panículas corimbosas de glomérulos con ca 40 capítulos, muy ramificadas, abrazadas por brácteas ovadas; capítulos discoides; filarias 8 en 4 pares decusados, paleáceas, menudamente seríceas hacia el ápice, generalmente punteado-resinosas, ápice rígido-acuminado, las exteriores lanceoladas, 4.5–5 mm de largo, las internas lanceolado-oblongas, 5.5–7.5 mm de largo; receptáculos planos, desnudos; flósculos 4, perfectos; tubo de la corola 3–6 mm de largo, los lobos 1.2 mm, blancos a rosados; anteras 1 mm de largo; estilos ca 7 mm de largo. Aquenios obovoides, 1.9–2.7 mm de largo, ligeramente aplanados, 10-acostillados, menudamente pilosos, estrigulosos, resinoso-punteados, cafés cuando maduros, pálidos en las costillas; vilano en 1 serie de 5 (–8) cerdas, 3.5–5 mm de largo, dilatadas en una base angosta o ampliamente triangular.

Común en áreas perturbadas y bosques de pinos, en todo el país; 0–1800 m; fl y fr dic–mar; Stevens 6044, 8667; pantropical, ampliamente distribuida en Centroamérica. Un género con ca 25 especies, distribuidas en los trópicos del Nuevo y Viejo Mundo.

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• 14
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Coarse perennial herbs mostly 30-150 (-200) cm tall, occasionally from a creeping rootstock; stem erect, leafy, usually hollow, villous, the trichomes to 1.5 mm long. Leaves cauline, rarely basal, more or less oblanceolate, basally attenuate, apically acute, crenate, mostly 7-22 cm long, 2-7 cm wide, less than 3?/ times longer than wide, chartaceous, green throughout, darker above, resin-dotted and densely soft-puberulent beneath, the trichomes to 0.5 mm long, slightly longer on the veins, above muricate and sparsely appressed-pubescent, somewhat obscurely veined above; petioles broadly expanded at the base, clasping. Inflores- cence solitary, terminal, a much-branched corymbose panicle, the branches sub- tended by oblong leaflike bracts to 6 cm long; peduncles appressed-pubescent; glomerules many, with ca. 40 heads, hemispheric, to 10 mm high and 20 mm across, subtended by 2 or 3 ovate bracts; bracts obtuse at base, slightly acuminate, 6-12 mm long, the venation arcuate-ascending, conspicuous beneath, obscure above. Heads with 4 florets; involucral bracts 8, in 2 decussate series, minutely sericeous towards the apex, usually resin-dotted, the outer 4 lanceolate, 4.5-5.0 mm long, the inner 4 lanceolate-oblong, acuminate, 5.5-7.5 mm long; corolla white or occasionally pinkish, the tube slender, 3.0-4.0 mm long, ca. 0.15 mm wide, the limb ca. 2.0 mm long, deeply divided on the adaxial side, 5-parted, the lobes linear, ca. 1.2 mm long, ca. 0.18 mm wide; anthers ca. 1.0 mm long, ca. 0.18 mm wide, basally sagittate, 0.12-0.15 mm long, the apical appendage ca. 0.1 mm long; style branches slender, terete, somewhat flattened adaxially, ca. 0.7 mm long, strigulose throughout, but less densely on the adaxial surfaces. Achenes obovoid, slightly flattened, 10-ribbed, 1.9-2.7 mm long, ca. 0.7 mm wide, brown in the sulci when mature, pale on the ribs, strigulose and resin-dotted; pappus in 1 series of 5(-8) straight bristles, 3.5-4.7 mm long, abruptly or somewhat gradually dilated at the base, to 0.25 mm wide, the dilated portion 0.2-0.6 mm long, the bristles appressed-puberulent, often ciliate at the base.

Source: [
• 15
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Erect herb 1-2 m tall, few-branched; stems pilose. Leaves cauline, 5-27 x 1.5—8(—10) cm, oblanceolate to obovate, chartaceous, pilose on upper surface, pilose and finely glandular on lower surface, the apex acute, the base long-attenuate, the margins crenulate. Inflorescence diffuse, peduncle 1-6 cm long, pilose. Glomerules 10-40-headed, the leafy bracts 3, cordiform to deltoid, to 1.5 x 1 cm, the lower surface pilose and glandular. Individual heads ca. 6-7 x 1-2 mm; outer 4 involucral bracts ca. 2-3 mm long, the inner 4 involucral bracts ca. 5-7 mm long. Corollas long- and narrowly tubular with a short bell-shaped limb, 5-6.5 mm long, white to cream-colored, sometimes with lavender lobes, glabrous or lobes occasionally glandular. Achenes 2-2.5 mm long; pappus bristles ca. 4 mm long, reaching to the base of the corolla limb.

Source: [
• 16
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Folha: filotaxia basal(ais) rosulada(s)/caulinar(es) alterna(s) reduzida(s); pecíolo(s) séssil(eis)/curto(s) peciolada(s); forma lanceolada(s) a(s) elíptica(s); margem(ns) levemente crenada(s)/inteira/revoluta(s); indumento pubescente(s); nervura(s) não proeminente(s). Inflorescência: sinflorescência(s) em glomérulo(s) terminal(ais). Flor: número 4; lóbulo(s) papiloso(s); ramo(s) do estilete(s) papiloso(s). Fruto: cipsela(s) fusiforme(s)/10 costelada(s); indumento de tricoma(s) bisseriado(s); carpopódio assimétrico(s)/definido(s); pápus unisseriado(s)/cerdoso(s) barbelado(s)/persistente(s).

Source: [
• 1
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Leaf: phylotaxy basal rosulate/cauline alternate reduced; petiole sessile/short petiolate; form lanceolate the elliptic; margin slightly crenate/entire/revolute; indumentum pubescent; veins non proeminent. Inflorescence: synflorescence in glomerule terminal. Flower: number 4; lobule papillose; shoot of the style papillose. Fruit: cypsela fusiform/10 ribbed; indumentum of the hair biseriate; carpopodium asymmetric/defined; pappus uniseriate/bristly barbellate/persistent.

Source: [
• 1
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Hoja: filotaxia basal(es) rosulada(s)/caulinar(es) alternada(s) reducida(s); pecíolo(s) sésil(es)/corto(s) peciolada(s); forma lanceolada(s) a(s) elíptica(s); margen(es) ligeramente crenada(s)/entera/revoluta(s); indumento pubescente(s); nervura(s) no proeminente(s). Inflorescencia: sinflorescéncia(s) en glomérulo(s) terminal(es). Flor: número 4; lóbulo(s) papiloso(s); ramo(s) del estilo(s) papiloso(s). Fruto: cipsela(s) fusiforme(s)/10 costillada(s); indumento de pelo(s) biseriado(s); carpopódio assimétrico(s)/definido(s); pápus uniseriado(s)/cerdoso(s) barbelado(s)/persistente(s).

Source: [
• 1
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An erect branched coarsely hairy perennial herb with wrinkled leaves; usually 2-4 ft. high, but exceptionally up to 8 ft.

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• 6
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Florets small, white, in bracteate heads up to 3/4 in. across

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• 6
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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.

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• 12
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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.

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• 12
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An erect hirsute perennial herb to c. 40 cm. tall, with annual stems from a small vertical woody rootstock.

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• 12
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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.

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• 12
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Florets c. 4 per capitulum.

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• 12
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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.

Source: [
• 12
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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.

Source: [
• 12
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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.

Source: [
• 12
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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.

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• 13
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Corolla white, 5–6 mm long, glabrous.

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• 13
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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.

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• 13
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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.

Source: [
• 13
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Achenes 3–4 mm long, 10-ribbed, finely ascending-pubescent; pappus of 5–6 setae expanded at the very base, 4–5 mm long.

Source: [
• 13
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Herbe ± vivace, suffrutescente, de 30-120 cm de haut; tiges dressées, ramifiées, cylindriques, poilues (à poils blancs), feuillées. Feuilles alternes, sessiles ou pseudopétiolées, oblancéolées ou obovales à elliptiques, de 5.5-15.0 cm de long et 2-5 cm de large, aiguës à aiguës-subacuminées au sommet, atténuées vers la base ou vers un pseudopétiole ailé et amplexicaule formant une gaine à tube fermé et de 2-5 mm de long; bord du limbe crénelé-denté; face supérieure du limbe éparsement pubescente-scabre, l'inférieure soit pubescente, soit poilue, soit ± tomenteuse; nervation pennée, saillante en dessous, déprimée en dessus, à 8-12 paires de nervures latérales; réticulation bien apparente. Capitules homogames, 4-flores, étroitement oblongs, sessiles, groupés en glomérules très denses; glomérules de 1 cm de haut et 1-2 cm de diamètre, sous-tendus par 2-3 bractées foliacées ovales et plus courtes que les glomérules; glomérules à leur tour groupés en cymes paniculiformes, terminales, très lâches; bractées involucrales 2-sériées, glabres, les externes ovales, de 3.0-3.5 mm de long, aiguës au sommet, les internes lancéolées-oblongues, d'environ 7.5 mm de long, mucronées au sommet, pubérulentes de l'extérieur dans la partie supérieure; réceptacle velu. Fleurs hermaphrodites, légèrement exsertes; corolle blanche, glabre, de 5.8-6.0 mm de long, dont 3.0-3.2 mm pour la partie inférieure tubulaire; partie supérieure de la corolle infundibuliforme et 5-lobée. Anthères de 1.8 mm de long, sagittées à la base, à appendice apical ovale. Style bifide à branches recourbées. Akènes obovoïdes, de 2.8-3.0 mm de long, atténués vers la base, tronqués au sommet, 10-côtelés, à sillons pubescents à poils blancs et apliqués; pappus sétacé, à 5-6 soies de 4-5 mm de long, à base dilatée-triangulaire.

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• 17
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herbs

Source: [
• 15
]. 

Erva

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

Source: [
• 6
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Savanes, jachères, bords des routes, endroits rudéralisés, lisières des forêts.

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• 17
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Terrícola

Rupícola

pantropical.

Source: [
• 15
]. 

Occasional along roadsides and in wet shaded areas. Along road to Bordeaux (A3141), between Bethany and Rosenberg (B259), Lameshur Trail (A3185). Also on St. Croix, St. Thomas, and Tortola; throughout the West Indies and much of the neotropics; introduced into tropical Africa, the Pacific (Fiji), and southeastern Asia.

Source: [
• 16
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Sénégal, Guinée, Mali, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Ghana, Nigeria, Cameroun, Fernando Po, Rép. centrafricaine, Gabon, Congo, Angola, Soudan, Zaïre, Burundi, Ouganda, Tanzanie, Madagascar, Seychelles, Asie tropicale et Amérique tropicale. Originaire de l'Amérique tropicale, devenu pantropical.

Source: [
• 17
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