Asteraceae
Gamochaeta

Gamochaeta purpurea (L.) Cabrera

First published in Bol. Soc. Argent. Bot. 9: 377 (1961)
This species is accepted
The native range of this species is E. Canada to Tropical America. It is an annual or biennial and grows primarily in the subtropical biome. It is used as a medicine and for food.

Descriptions

Extinction risk predictions for the world's flowering plants to support their conservation (2024). Bachman, S.P., Brown, M.J.M., Leão, T.C.C., Lughadha, E.N., Walker, B.E. https://nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/nph.19592

Conservation
Predicted extinction risk: not threatened. Confidence: confident
[AERP]

Bernal, R., G. Galeano, A. Rodríguez, H. Sarmiento y M. Gutiérrez. 2017. Nombres Comunes de las Plantas de Colombia. http://www.biovirtual.unal.edu.co/nombrescomunes/

Vernacular
espadilla blanca, lechuguilla, viravira
[UNAL]

Compositae, H. Beentje, C. Jeffrey & D.J.N. Hind. Flora of Tropical East Africa. 2005

Morphology General Habit
Annual or biennial herb, branching from the base; central stem erect, 10–45 cm high, lateral stems decumbent and rooting where they touch the ground, then erect; stems white-lanate, glabrescent on older stems.
Morphology Leaves
Leaves obovate or spatulate, 1–9.5 cm long, 0.5–3 cm wide, base attenuate or cuneate, apex rounded and mucronate to acute, sparsely white-pubescent above, densely white-lanate beneath.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Capitulum
Capitula 2.5–4 mm long, sessile, fairly tightly arranged in terminal and leafy racemes or spikes 2–8 cm long; receptacle flat, not or hardly honeycombed; phyllaries 2–3-seriate, lanceolate, 2–3 mm long, acute, the outer white-pubescent, the inner glabrous, allwith green stereome and pale brown lamina.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Florets
Outer florets 80–100, pale yellow, tube cylindrical, 1.9–2.2 mm long, style 2.1–2.4 mm long; inner florets 2–4, pale yellow with red tips, tube cylindrical to narrowly infundibuliform, 1.8–2.3 mm long, lobes 0.1–0.2 mm long; anthers 0.7–0.8 mm long with briefly caudate tails and an acute distal appendage; style ± 2.3 mm long with clavate branches.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Achenes ellipsoid, 0.5–0.6 mm long, glabrous, papillose, slimy when wet; pappus 2–2.5 mm long, barbellate and white, connate into a ring at the base.
Figures
Fig. 85 (page 402).
Habitat
A weed in upland grassland and gardens, waste places, arable land and roadsides; 1200–2400 m
Distribution
K3 K4 K5 T2 T3 T5 T7 a widespread weed in the tropics and subtropics
[FTEA]

Distribution
Biogeografic region: Andean. Elevation range: 1750–4300 m a.s.l. Native to Colombia. Colombian departments: Antioquia, Bogotá DC, Boyacá, Caldas, Cauca, Cesar, Cundinamarca, Huila, Magdalena, Meta, Nariño, Norte de Santander, Risaralda, Santander, Tolima.
Habit
Herb.
[UPFC]

Bernal, R., Gradstein, S.R. & Celis, M. (eds.). 2015. Catálogo de plantas y líquenes de Colombia. Instituto de Ciencias Naturales, Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Bogotá. http://catalogoplantasdecolombia.unal.edu.co

Distribution
Adventicia en Colombia; Alt. 1750 - 4300 m.; Andes, Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta.
Morphology General Habit
Hierba
Conservation
No Evaluada
[CPLC]

Vernacular
Lechuguilla, Vira-vira
[UPFC]

Uses

Use Food
Used for food.
Use Medicines
Medical uses.
[UPFC]

Sources

  • Angiosperm Extinction Risk Predictions v1

    • Angiosperm Threat Predictions
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

  • Catálogo de Plantas y Líquenes de Colombia

    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • Flora of Tropical East Africa

    • Flora of Tropical East Africa
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • Herbarium Catalogue Specimens

    • Digital Image © Board of Trustees, RBG Kew http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

  • Kew Names and Taxonomic Backbone

    • The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants 2024. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and https://powo.science.kew.org/
    • © Copyright 2023 International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0

  • Universidad Nacional de Colombia

    • ColPlantA database
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • Useful Plants and Fungi of Colombia

    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • World Checklist of Vascular plants (WCVP)

    • The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants 2024. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and https://powo.science.kew.org/
    • © Copyright 2023 World Checklist of Vascular Plants. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0