Acmella oleracea (L.) R.K.Jansen
The following key can help differentiating species in India of species earlier treated under Spilanthes
1a. Heads with white ray florets, achenes 3-angled ……. Blainvillea acmella
1b. Heads discoid or with yellow ray florets, achenes flattened …….(2)
2a. Heads discoid ……(3)
2b. Heads radiate, ray florets very small, achenes ciliate, pappus of 2-3 bristles ………(7)
3a. Corolla white, greenish white or with purple tinge, 4-merous, pappus of 2-3 bristles …..Acmella radicans var. radicans
3b. Corolla pale yellow, yellow or orange yellow …(4)
4a. Pappus absent; stems decumbent, rooting at nodes; leaves ovate, ahenes 1.7-2.2 mm, glabrous, if sparsely hairy then hairs hooked ….Acmella calva
4b. Pappus of 2-3 bristles, achenes hairy, hairs straight, stems erect without nodal roots…..(5)
5a. Mature achenes with cork-like margin; surface tuberculate …….Acmella paniculata
5b. Mature achenes without cork-like margin; surface not tuberculate …..(6)
6a. Corolla (disc floret) 4-merous, phyllaries 5-6, uniseriate, heads 5.8-8 mm high, 4-6 mm diam.,receptacle 3-6 mm high ……Acmella uliginosa
6b. Corolla 5-merous, phyllaries 15-18, triseriate, heads 8-23 mm high, 6-17 mm diam., receptacle 6-21 mm high, leaves ovate-deltate ……Acmella oleracea
7a. Mature achenes with evident cork-like margin; disc corolla 5-merous; heads ovoid; leaves broadly ovate with rounded to cordate base; phyllaries 7-10, biseriate; heads 6-10 mm high, 6-9 mm in diam, receptacle 4-8 mm high ……Acmella ciliata
7b. Mature achenes without cork-like margin; leaf base cuneate ………(8)
8a.. Disc corolla 4-merous, heads cone-shaped; leaves elliptic to narrowly ovate, cuneate at base; phyllaries 5-6, heads 5.8-8 mm high, 4-6 mm diam. receptacle 3-6 mm high; achenes 1.2-1.8 mm long, ciliate with straight hairs; pappus of two unequal or subequal bristles, one up to 0.7 mm long second up to 0.5 mm long …..Acmella uliginosa
8b. Disc corolla 5-merous; phyllaries 8-11, biseriate; heads 7.5-11.5 mm high, 6-8.5 mm diam, receptacle 5-8.5 mm high; achenes ahenes 1.7-2.2 mm, glabrous, if sparsely hairy then hairs hooked; pappus absent ……Acmella calva
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Fwd: completed insertion of images of identified Acmella species : 1 post by 1 author. .
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