Ethulia conyzoides L.F.

An erect or decumbent ± long-lived annual herb to c. 1.5(2) m tall, somewhat aromatic. Stems simple or branching above, leafy, becoming somewhat woody below, ribbed or ± angular on young growth, ± appressed-puberulous, sparsely glandular; indumentum of flagelliform hairs. Leaves alternate, subsessile with the midrib narrowly-winged in the lower part and petiole-like especially in older leaves, mostly 3-12(14) x 0.5-2(3.5) cm., linear-elliptic to narrowly lanceolate, apices long-acuminate or attenuate, bases tapering and narrowly cuneate, margins subentire to coarsely serrate, thinly appressed puberulous, glandular-punctate. Capitula ± numerous in corymbiform cymes terminal on stems and branches, or in small lax or dense scorpioidly arranged clusters; capitula stalks 0-5 mm long; synflorescence branches with small filiform bracts c. 3 mm long. Involucres 1.5-2 x 2.5-4 mm, spreading to c. 5 mm wide, cyathiform-campanulate becoming subglobose with mature achenes. Phyllaries few-seriate, puberulous and glandular outside, finely ciliate; the outer from c. 1 mm long, subulate-lanceolate; the inner to c. 2 mm long, oblong-lanceolate. Florets 19-32 per capitulum Corollas purple, mauve or blue, up to c. 1.8(2.5) mm long, exserted; limb cylindric or somewhat expanded above, ± abruptly contracted below into a slender tube, limb and tube ± equal in length, lobes half or less than half the limb in length, glandular otherwise glabrous. Achenes 1-1.8 mm long, ± equalling the involucre, tapering-obpyramidal or ± turbinate, strongly 4-6-ribbed, truncate at the apex with apical tissue at first shallowly dish-shaped later flattened or patelliform and extended laterally a little beyond the achene body, in mature capitula the contiguous slightly convex achene apices produce a low dome-shaped top to the capitulum, faces between the ribs flat with few to numerous unicellular, glandular trichomes; pappus absent.

A tropical plant. It grows in moist areas along rivers. In Zimbabwe it grows up to 1,100 m above sea level. It grows in the lowlands. It grows in flooded rice fields and in rain fed crops. In Yunnan.

Can be grown by seedlings.