Aspilia kotschyi

Aspilia kotschyi is a species of herbaceous plant in the family Asteraceae.^[1][2] It has ovate to narrowly lanceolate leaves and dark red-purple flowers commonly found Tropical Africa.^[3] It has a variety, Aspilia kotschyi var. alba which has white flowers.^[4]

Aspilia kotschyi
Aspilia kotschyi (Asteraceae), a weed in disturbed areas
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Eudicots
Clade:	Asterids
Order:	Asterales
Family:	Asteraceae
Tribe:	Heliantheae
Genus:	Aspilia
Species:	A. kotschyi
Binomial name
Aspilia kotschyi (Sch.Bip. ex Hochst.) Oliv.
Synonyms[1]
Coronocarpus kotschyi (Sch.Bip. ex Hochst.) Benth. Dipterotheca kotschyi Sch.Bip. ex Hochst. Wedelia kotschyi (Sch.Bip.) Soldano Wirtgenia kotschyi (Sch.Bip. ex Hochst.) Sch.Bip.

Description

Leaves are simple and opposite in arrangement and borne from the stem; leaf-blade is ovate to narrowly lanceolate, 3–16 cm long and 1–4 cm wide.^[3] Inflorescence is capitulum type, solitary, axillary or sessile clustered around the upper surface of leaves, it has ovoid bracts and small dark purple-brown ray and disc flowers; phyllary is green but brownish around the base.^[3][4]

Distribution

Endemic to Tropical Africa, it occurs from Senegal eastwards towards Ethiopia and southwards up to Zimbabwe.^[3]