Australian Tropical Rainforest Plants - Online edition

Dichrocephala integrifolia (L.f.) Kuntze


Weed
Herb (herbaceous or woody, under 1 m tall)
Shrub (woody or herbaceous, 1-6 m tall)
Click/tap on images to enlarge
Habit, leaves, flowers and fruit. © CSIRO
Scale bar 10mm. © CSIRO
Cotyledon stage, epigeal germination. © CSIRO
10th leaf stage. © CSIRO
Family

Kuntze, C.E.O. (1891) Rev. Gen. : 333.

Common name

Veronia

Stem

Usually flowers and fruits as a herb but also flowers as a shrub 1 m tall.

Leaves

Leaf blades about 8-9 x 3.5-4 cm, hairy on both the upper and lower surfaces. Lateral veins about 4-7, depressed on the upper surface. Leaves can also be deeply dissected and +/- compound.

Flowers

Inflorescence a panicle of globular heads, each head about 4-5 mm diam. Central flowers (about six) hermaphrodite and the marginal flowers female. Female flowers, corolla white. Hermaphrodite flowers, corolla green. Pollen yellow. Ovary 1 mm long. Globular style present at the apex of the ovary.

Fruit

Fruits produced in heads about 3-4 mm diam. Individual fruits about 1 x 0.5 mm, without any obvious pappus.

Seedlings

Cotyledons +/- orbicular, about 1-2 mm diam. First pair of leaves +/- orbicular, apex obtuse, base attenuate, margin usually toothed. Sparsely hairy. At the tenth leaf stage: leaves variable, sometimes simple and +/- cordate with coarsely toothed margins or somewhat dissected and irregularly compound with a large middle leaflet and a couple of much smaller sessile lateral leaflets. Both the upper and lower surfaces sparsely hairy. Stems marked with longitudinal lines and clothed in white or translucent septate hairs. Seed germination time 12 to 17 days.

Distribution and Ecology

Occurs in NEQ, CEQ and in south eastern Queensland and north eastern New South Wales. Altitudinal range in NEQ from 750-1200 m. Grows in disturbed areas and along roads in upland and mountain rain forest.

Natural History & Notes

This species has been used medicinally in Polynesia.  This species has been used medicinally in Java. Cribb (1981).

Synonyms
Hippia integrifolia L. f., Suppl. pl. : 389(1782), Type: India.
RFK Code
3035
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