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16. Veroonia cinerea (L ) Less, in Linnaea 4: 291. 1829. (Fig. 134).
Vernonia conyzoides DC.—Conyza cinerea Linn.—Eupatorium luzoniensis Llanos.
COMPOSITAE
Engl. Ash-coloured Fleabane; Sinh. Monerakudi'mbiya; Tarn. Puvamkurundal,
Sahadevi, Sirashengalanir; Hindi Dantotpala, Sahadevi, Sadodi, Sadori; Sans. Dantotpala,
Devasasha, Devika, Gandhavalii, Govandani. Saha, Sahadeva, Sahadevi, Vishamajvaranashini,
Vishvadeva.
An annual herb with a slightly branched, stifT, erect, cylindrical, more or less pubescent
stem 15—60 cm tall; leaves simple, alternate, distant, the lower ones 4—5 cm long, 3—3.5 cm
broad, gradually becoming smaller upwards, broadly oval to linear—lanceolate, tapering to the
base, sub-obtuse, apiculate, coarsely and shallowly crenate-serrate, more or less hairy on both
sides, petioles 0.6—1.8 cm long; flowers regular, bisexual, pinkish violet, all tubular, sessile
on long, stalked, small heads in divaricate, terminal corymbs, involucre—bracts linear to oblong,
1.5—2.5 mm long, mucronate, silky outside, flowers 20—25 in a head; sepals reduced into long
bristles with a shorter outer row; petals 5, fused into a long, tubular corolla about 4 mm long,
segments deep and narrow; stamens 5, on the corolla tube, anthers not tailed at the base; ovary
1 mm long, hairy, inferior, 2-carpellary. unilocular with a single basal ovule, style stout, 3.5 mm
long, stigma bilobed; fruit a hairy achene, 1.5—2 mm long but not ribbed, with a white pappus
the outer row of which is very short.
Flowers all the year round.
Illustrations. Wight. Ic. PI. Ind. Orient./)/. 1076. 1846; Kirtikar and Basu. Indian Med.
Plants,/;/. 516. 1933.
Distribution. Occurs throughout India. Ceylon, tropical Asia, Africa and Australia.
In Ceylon, it is a very common weed everywhere.
India. Sikkim: J. D. Hooker; T. Thomson, 1857. Khasia: Clarke 18067, Nov. 1872;
Clarke 18688, Nov. 1872; Jaintea, Clarke 17894, Nov. 1872; J D. Hooker and T. Thomson.
Assam: Simons; Parasnath, T. Thomson. Ceylon. Thwaites CP. 1736; North Western Prov..
Chilaw, Simpson 8164, May 1931. Central Prov., Haputale, Hyde, Nov. 1926. Sabaragamuwa
Prov., Veddagala, Herb. Peradeniya. Upper Burma. Keng Taung, Khali!, 1896. Thailand.
Schomburgh 308, 1859. Laccadive Islands. Minikoy, H.I,M.S. Investigator, Dec. 1891; Gardiner
13, 1899. Maldive Islands. Heddufuri and Horsburgh Atoll. Gardiner, 1899—1900; Hulule,
Gardiner 51, 1899—1900.
Composition. The leaves contain an alkaloid.
Uses. A stomachic and carminative and used for dyspeps