Asteraceae

Pluchea Cass.

First published in Bull. Sci. Soc. Philom. Paris 1817: 31 (1817)
This genus is accepted
The native range of this genus is Cosmpopolitan.

Descriptions

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

Morphology General Habit
Shrubs or herbs
Morphology Leaves
Leaves alternate (rarely opposite), (sub-)sessile, generally not decurrent, dentate or less often with entire margins
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Capitulum
Capitula solitary or in terminal corymbs, disciform; phyllaries in several series, imbricate, the outer ovate, the inner linear; receptacle epaleate
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Florets
Outer florets in 1 or several series, female, filiform, with 3–5 minute lobes distally, style with filiform branches; central florets few, hermaphrodite, fertile or sterile, tube slightly widening, lobes 5; anthers sagittate to auriculate and distally acuminate; style entire or almost undivided (occasionally divided), filiform, papillose or puberulous
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Achenes often vestigial in inner florets, cylindrical; pappus uniseriate, of free barbellate bristles.
[FTEA]

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

Morphology General Habit
Shrubs or occasionally herbs, usually pubescent and/or glandular
Morphology Leaves
Leaves alternate or subopposite, simple (in Iraq) or compound, sessile and auriculate or decurrent, or petiolate
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Capitulum
Capitula usually heterogamous and disciform, scattered or aggregated into corymbs, rarely solitary, medium-sized; involucres campanulate; phyllaries multiseriate, coriaceous; receptacle epaleaceous
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Florets
Marginal florets female and filiform
Disc
Disc florets hermaphrodite, functionally male
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Achenes terete or angular, all or only three filiform florets fertile; pappus setae uniseriate, free, persistent, minutely barbellate.
Distribution
About 80 species, pantropical; only one species in Iraq.
Etymology
Pluchea (named in honour of the French naturalist Abbé Noël-Antoine Pluche (1688– 1761), author of Spectacle de la nature (1732).
[FIQ]

George R. Proctor (2012). Flora of the Cayman Isands (Second Edition). Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew

Morphology General Habit
Erect herbs or shrubs; leaves alternate, entire or toothed, rarely pinnatifid
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
Heads discoid, heterogamous, usually in terminal corymbose cymes; involucre ovoid or bell-shaped, the phyllaries in few or several series; receptacle flat, naked
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Florets
Outer florets in several rows, pistillate and fertile; central florets usually few, perfect but sterile (functionally staminate)
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla
Corolla of the pistillate flowers filiform, 3- toothed or -lobed; style with 2 linear arms Corolla of the perfect florets tubular, 5-lobed, their anthers sagittate at the base with tailed auricles, their styles entire or forked, papillose
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Achenes 4–5-angled; pappus a single series of several or many scabrid bristles.
Distribution
A pantropical genus of about 50 species.
[Cayman]

Sources

  • Flora of Iraq

    • Flora of Somalia
    • 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

  • Flora of the Cayman Islands

    • Flora of the Cayman Islands
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • Herbarium Catalogue Specimens

  • 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

  • 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