Asteraceae
Emilia

Emilia coccinea (Sims) G.Don

First published in R.Sweet, Hort. Brit., ed. 3: 382 (1839)
This species is accepted
The native range of this species is Tropical Africa. It is an annual and grows primarily in the seasonally dry tropical biome. It is used as animal food and a medicine, has environmental uses and social uses and for food.

Descriptions

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

Morphology General Habit
Annual herb, 15–120 cm high, erect; stems pubescent or glabrous.
Morphology Leaves
Leaves ± subsucculent, often glaucous, sometimes purplish beneath and on margins, spatulate, obovate or elliptic, the upper also ovate or oblong, 1.2–19.5 cm long, 0.4–6 cm wide, cuneate or attenuate into a winged exauriculate petioloid base in lower leaves, upper leaves also cordate, hastate or sagittate and semi-amplexicaul, margins remotely sinuate-dentate or subentire, apex rounded to obtuse, rarely acute, apiculate, varyingly pubescent beneath at least on midrib, glabrescent.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Capitulum
Capitula in terminal corymbs of 1–6, first sub-umbelliform, later lax, discoid; capitulum stalk glabrous or with a few hairs; involucre broadly cylindrical, 4.5–9.5 mm long, 2–5 mm in diameter; phyllaries light green, 8–21, 4–9 mm long, glabrous to densely setiferous or hirsute at least towards the apex.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Florets
Disc florets bright orange, less often orange-red, on the coast occasionally with a tinge of yellow, corolla 5.3–9.5 mm long, lobes 1–2.2 mm long, glabrous or shortly hairy in upper part.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Achenes 2–4.7 mm long, shortly hairy at least in upper part; pappus 3–6 mm long.
Figures
Fig. 122 (page 584).
Habitat
Grassland, bushed grassland; one of the commonest weeds of cultivation on the coast and to a lesser degree elsewhere; 0–1800(–2400) m
Distribution
K1 K2 K3 K4 K5 K6 K7 P T1 T2 T3 T4 T5 T6
[FTEA]

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. 350 - 3000 m.; Andes, Orinoquia, Valle del Magdalena.
Morphology General Habit
Hierba
Conservation
No Evaluada
[CPLC]

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
borlita, borlitas, carrillo, diente de león rojo, lechuguilla, pincel, pincel de amor, yerba socialista
[UNAL]

Distribution
Biogeografic region: Andean, Orinoquia. Elevation range: 350–3000 m a.s.l. Naturalised in Colombia. Colombian departments: Antioquia, Bogotá DC, Caquetá, Casanare, Cauca, Chocó, Cundinamarca, Guaviare, Huila, Meta, Nariño, Norte de Santander, Quindío, Santander, Tolima, Valle del Cauca.
Habit
Herb.
Ecology
Habitat according IUCN Habitats Classification: forest and woodland, savanna, shrubland, artificial - terrestrial.
[UPFC]

Compositae, C. D. Adams. Flora of West Tropical Africa 2. 1963

Morphology General Habit
A straggling glaucous sparingly pubescent herb with weak stems up to about 3 ft. long
Morphology Leaves
Leaves often purple beneath
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Florets
Florets deep yellow in long-stalked heads about 1/2 in. long
Ecology
A weed along roadsides and in clearings in forest country.
[FWTA]

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

Morphology General Habit
Annual herb 4–90 cm high; stem erect, sparsely pubescent at least towards the base, or glabrous.
Morphology Leaves
Leaves subsucculent, light green, sometimes purplish beneath or near margins, sessile, the lower circular, spatulate or obovate, upper obovate, elliptic to linear-lanceolate, 0.8–15 cm long, 0.4–4 cm wide, base cuneate or attenuate, in upper semi-amplexicaul, margins remotely sinuate-denticulate to -serrate, obtuse to acute, sparsely pubescent or glabrous.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Capitulum
Capitula discoid, 2–4 in terminal subumbelliform to lax corymbs; involucre broadly cylindrical, 4–8 mm long, 2.5–3 mm in diameter; phyllaries 8–13, 4–8 mm long, sparsely pubescent or glabrous.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Florets
Disc florets bright orange, occasionally red, 5.5–12.5 mm long, shortly hairy; lobes 1.5–2.8 mm long.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Achenes 2.2–4 mm long, glabrous or rarely short-hairy; pappus 3.5–7 mm long.
Habitat
Grassland, abandoned cultivations, woodland; may be locally common; 300–1900 m
Distribution
T1 T5 T6 T7 U2
[FTEA]

Tadesse, M., & Beentje, H. (2004). A Synopsis and New Species of Emilia (Compositae-Senecioneae) in Northeast Tropical Africa. Kew Bulletin, 59(3), 469-482. doi:10.2307/4110954

Type
Tanzania, Karagwe, Grant 464 (K, holotype).
Morphology General Habit
Erect annual herb, 20 - 50 cm high
Morphology Leaves
Leaves simple, oblong-narrowly ovate to narrowly ovate, (3 -)5 - 11 x (0.5 -)1 - 4 cm, glabrous or glabrescent (hairs mostly on petioles and young leaves), base round- auriculate, margins denticulate-serrate, cauline leaves sparse, linear-narrowly ovate, much narrowed from the middle to the apex, 6- 10 x 1 - 1.5 cm
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Capitulum
Capitula 2 - 4 in open corymbose cymes, discoid, campanulate, 7- 8 x 4 - 5 mm at anthesis
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Peduncles
Peduncle 1.5 - 7.5 cm long, bracteate
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Bracts Phyllaries
Phyllaries c. 12, green, sparsely to densely pilose, 6 - 6.5 x c. 1 mm
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Florets
Florets bright orange, 30 - 50; corolla 5 - 7 mm long
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Achenes black with whitish ribs, 3.5 - 4 x 0.7 - 1 mm, glabrous
Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds Pappus
Pappus 4- 5 mm long.
Distribution
Congo (Kinshasa), Rwanda, Burundi, Sudan, Ethiopia, Uganda, Tanzania, Angola, Zambia, Malawi, Mozambique and Zimbabwe.
Ecology
Acacia seyal woodland, cultivated fields, sandy river banks; alt. 450 - 900 m.
Conservation
Least concern (LC).
[KBu]

Uses

Use Animal Food
Used as animal food.
Use Environmental
Environmental uses.
Use Gene Sources
Used as gene sources.
Use Food
Used for food.
Use Medicines
Medical uses.
Use Social
Social uses.
[UPFC]

Common Names

English
Scarlet Tasselflower

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

  • Colombian resources for Plants made Accessible

    • ColPlantA 2021. Published on the Internet at http://colplanta.org
    • https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

  • Flora of Tropical East Africa

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

  • Flora of West Tropical Africa

    • Flora of West Tropical 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 Bulletin

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

  • Kew Living Collection Database

    • Common Names from Plants and People Africa http://www.plantsandpeopleafrica.com/

  • 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

  • Kew Science Photographs

    • Copyright applied to individual images

  • 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