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9. Emilia sonchifolia (Linn.) DC. in Wight Contrib. 24. 1834 (Fig. 128).
COMPOS1TAE
Cacalia sonchifolia Linn.—Cacalia glabra Heyne—Gynura ecalyculata DC.—Prenanthes
sarmcniosa Wall.—Crassocephalum sonchifolium Less.—Emilia humifusa Elm. —Emilia
marivelensis Elm.
Sinh. Kadupara.
A perennial herb with prostrate or decumbent stems, becoming erect at the ends, much
branched, glabrous and often rooting; leaves simple, alternate, sessile, 3.7—10 cm long, 2.5—
4.5 cm broad, somewhat lyrate on the barren shoots, with the upper half ovate and the lower
narrower and oblong, on the flowering branches, oblong or lanceolate-oblong, sagittate with
acute auricles at the base, hairy on both sides, rather thick, glaucous beneath; flowers regular,
bisexual, bright pinkish-violet, slightly bent, all tubular, sessile on heads which are few and
nodding when young, about 1.2 cm wide, involucre about 0.6 cm long, nearly glabrous, bracts
8 in one row, connate near the top, flowers much exceeding involucre, outer ones spreading;
sepals reduced to bristles; petals 5, fused, corolla-tube 8 mm long, segments 5, oblong, 2.5 mm
long; stamens 5, on the corolla-tube, filaments free, anthers fused into a tube round the style,
anther bases obtuse; ovary inferior, 1 mm long, 2—carpellary, unilocular with a single basal
ovule, style-arms tipped with tufts of hair; fruit an oblong brown achene, about 2.5 mm long
with 5 rows of white bristles on the ribs and copious white pappus.
Flowers all the year round.
Illustrations. Kirtikar and Basu, Indian Med. Plants, pi. 544/*. 1933; Herb. Peradeniya
drawing.
Distribution. A weed found commonly growing along with grass in most parts of India,
Ceylon, Malaysia, China and other tropical countries. In Ceylon, it is abundant all over the
island.
India. Chota Nagpore, Clarke 24921, Nov. 1874; Clarke 25060B, Nov. 1874. Calcutta:
Clarke 3607, Feb. 1866. Ceylon. Thwaites CP. 3343. Southern Prov., Kirinde, Alston 1643, Jan.
1928. Maldlve Islands. Hirikulla, Didi 124, 1896; Horsburgh Atoll, Gardiner, 1899—1900.
China. Hongkong: Herb. Hance 481. Japan. Nagasaki, Maximowicz, 1863. Philippine Islands.
Luzon: Sulu Prov., Tawitawi, Ramos and Edano 44037, July—Aug. 1924.
Composition. The plant contains an alkaloid.
Uses. Used as a salad before flowering, in Malaysia and Indo-China. In India, the juice
of the plant, mixed with sugar, is given for bowel complaints. The pure juice is poured into the
eyes, drop by drop, for night blindness and eye inflammations. In Indo-China, a decoction of
the leaves is prescribed as an antipyretic. In Ceylon and in the Philippine Islands, the leaves
are used as a styptic for cuts and wounds and long-standing superficial ulcers. A decoction of
the plant is given as an expectorant, anti-haemostatic and in cases of fever. In Malaya, the
leaves are used for dressing ulcers and in decoction as a cure for coughs and phthisis and to arrest
diarrhoea. The plant is used as an astringent, an anti-asthmatic and vulnerary in Africa and
also to treat sore throat.
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