Ageratum houstonianum Mill.

The Useful Plants of Boyacá project

Distribution

Introduced in Colombia.

Ecology

Alt. 1300 - 2625 m.

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

Morphology General Habit

Usually annual or short-lived perennial, erect to decumbent, simple or sparingly branched herb or sub-shrub to 1 m; stem terete, whitish pubescent and with some long, simple hairs.

Morphology Leaves

Leaves opposite to occasionally sub-opposite above, with pubescent petiole 0.4–3.2 cm, blade triangular to ovate, 1.3–5.8 cm long, 1–5.3 cm wide, base cordate to abruptly truncate, margins crenate to serrate, apex acute or obtuse, dark green, moderately hirsute above, a little paler, glabrous to sparsely hirsute beneath.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences

Infloresence terminal, ± 7–60 heads borne in tight cymose clusters on pubescent and hirsute bracteolate common stalks; capitula 4–7 mm diameter, stalks of individual capitula 0–6 mm extending to 12 mm in fruit; phyllaries green, lanceolate, usually 2-ribbed, outer series 3.5–4.5 mm long, 0.8–0.9 mm wide, inner slightly narrower, margins entire, apex acuminate, often purple, hirsute and glandular-stipitate especially basally.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Florets

Florets 70–103, corolla-funnel shaped, 2.5–3 mm long, tube white, limb blue, mauve, or white, lobes acute, sparsely to moderately short-pubescent; anthers basally subcordate; style-arms blue, mauve or white, clavate, exserted for ± 2.5 mm, papillate.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits

Achenes 1.2–2 mm long, sub-glabrous, with occasional setae between ribs; pappus 0–3 mm long, of 5 free triangular scales, lacerate, acuminate into a slender awn with scabrid margins, or pappus awnless, scales coroniform, truncate, lacerate, or occasionally pappus absent.

Figures

Fig. 181/9 (page 828).

Ghazanfar, S. A., Edmondson, J. R. & Hind, D. J. N. (Eds). (2019). Flora of Iraq, Volume 6: Compositae.Kew Publishing

Morphology General Habit

Annual, 20–50 cm tall

Morphology Leaves

Leaves opposite, base cordate, broadly ovate, crenate, long- petiolate

Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences

Inflorescence of 10–50 capitula

Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Bracts Involucre

Involucre 4–6 mm; phyllaries green, linear, acuminate

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla

Corollas blue, exceeded by exserted blue style arms

Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits

Achenes angular, truncate, black; pappus of 5 scales, 2–3 mm.

Distribution

Cultivated under irrigation at horticultural and agricultural experiment stations in the alluvial plain in the desert region of Iraq.

Phenology

flowering & fruiting: May & Oct.

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. 1300 - 2625 m.; Andes, Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta.

Morphology General Habit

Hierba, subarbusto, arbusto

Conservation

No Evaluada

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

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

manrubio, marrubio, yerba de chivo

Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds Protein Content

25.20% Entire seed/nut. Moisture content not stated (Earle & Jones, 1962)

Use Medicines Unspecified Medicinal Disorders

Medicinal (State of the World's Plants 2016, Instituto Humboldt 2014).