1138

 Sphagneticola calendulacea (L.) Pruski

Synonym	:	Wedelia chinensis (Osbeck) Merr.,
Family	:	Asteraceae
Local name	:	Malayalam- . Manjakanjunni,
Flowering and fruiting period	:	Throughout the year
Distribution	:	Indo-Malesia
Distribution in kerala	:	Kottayam, Alappuzha, Thiruvananthapuram
Habitat	:	Marshy areas and mangrove forests
Uses	:	Ornamental purposes
Key Botanical Characters : Herbs, procumbent or ascending, rooting at the lower nodes; stems reddish, glabrous. Leaves spathulate-oblanceolate, acute, trinerved, attenuate margins flat or slightly inrolled, entire or feebly serrate, 2-6 x 0.5-1.5 cm, shortly appressed hairy on both the surfaces, subpetiolate. Heads yellow, solitary on terminal peduncles, 5-7 mm across; peduncles 3-7 cm long. Involucral bracts in 2 series; outer oblong, 5-8 x 2-3 mm, acute or obtuse at the apex, appressed pubescent; inner lanceolate, 5-7 x 1-2.5 mm. Ray florets few; corolla 6-8 x 3-4 mm long. Achenes dark brown, 4-5 x 2-3 mm, rugulose, glabrous; those of ray florets triquetrous; those of disc florets compressed. Pappus a minute, irregularly margined, withered cup at maturity