Tridax

Linnaeus

Sp. Pl. 2: 900. 1753.

,

Gen. Pl. ed. 5, 382. 1754.

Etymology: Etymology recondite perhaps alluding to 3-lobed leaf blades characteristic of original species
Treatment appears in FNA Volume 21. Treatment on page 179. Mentioned on page 176, 177.

Perennials [annuals], 10–40[–80+] cm. Stems procumbent to ascending. Leaves basal and/or cauline; opposite; petiolate [sessile]; blades deltate, lanceolate, lance-ovate, or ovate, often pinnately or palmately lobed, ultimate margins coarsely toothed to subentire, faces glabrate, hirsute, scabrellous, or strigillose. Heads radiate [discoid], borne singly [in ± cymiform arrays]. Involucres cylindric to hemispheric, 4–8 mm diam. Phyllaries persistent, 11–15+ in 2–3+ series (outer usually shorter, more herbaceous, the inner often scarious). Receptacles convex to conic, paleate (paleae ± persistent, lance-linear, scarious, weakly conduplicate, often apically toothed). Ray florets [0–]3–8[–13], pistillate, fertile; corollas pale yellow [white or purplish]. Disc florets [20–]40–80+, bisexual, fertile; corollas yellowish [whitish or purplish], tubes shorter than cylindric or funnelform throats, lobes 5, usually deltate [sometimes rays 0 and corollas of peripheral florets ± bilabiate]. Cypselae obconic to obpyramidal, 3-, 4-, or 5-angled, densely piloso-sericeous [glabrous, villous]; pappi [sometimes wanting in rays] persistent, of [10–]20[–40], plumose [ciliate], setiform scales. x = 10.

Distribution

Introduced; mostly tropical, mostly New World.

Discussion

Species ca. 26 (1 in the flora).

Lower Taxa

... more about "Tridax"
John L. Strother +
Linnaeus +
mostly tropical +  and mostly New World. +
Etymology recondite +  and perhaps alluding to 3-lobed leaf blades characteristic of original species +
Sp. Pl. +  and Gen. Pl. ed. +
1753 +  and 1754 +
powell1965a +
Compositae +
Asteraceae (tribe Heliantheae) subtribe Galinsoginae +