Cotula bipinnata

• Overview
• Interesting Facts
• Common Names
• Description
• Biology
• Taxonomy
• Similar Species
• More Info
• Further Reading
• Notes

Overview

Interesting Facts

Common Names

Description

Family Compositae

The largest family of flowering plants , the Compositae (Asteraceae), comprising about 1,100 genera and more than 20,000 species and characterized by many small flowers arranged in a head looking like a single flower and subtended by an involucre of bracts. A head may consist of both ray flowers and disk flowers, as in the sunflower, of disk flowers only, as in the burdock, or of ray flowers only, as in the dandelion.

Genus Cotula

Annuals or perennials , 2-25[-50+] cm (sometimes aromatic ). Stems usually 1, erect or prostrate to decumbent or ascending (sometimes rooting at nodes), usually branched, glabrous or ± strigillose to villous (hairs mostly basifixed ). Leaves usually mostly cauline [basal]; alternate [opposite]; petiolate or sessile; blades obovate or spatulate to lanceolate or linear , sometimes 1-3-pinnately [palmati-pinnately] lobed , ultimate margins entire or irregularly toothed , faces glabrous or ± strigillose to villous [lanate ] (hairs mostly basifixed). Heads disciform [discoid or radiate ], borne singly (peduncles sometimes dilated ). Involucres broadly hemispheric to saucer-shaped , 3-12+[-15+] mm diam. Phyllaries persistent , 13-30+ in 2-3+ series, margins and apices (colorless, light to dark brown, or purplish) scarious . Receptacles flat to convex [conic], epaleate (sometimes ± covered with persistent stalks of florets ). Ray florets 0 [5-8+, pistillate , fertile ; corollas white] (peripheral pistillate florets 8-80+ in 1-3+ series; corollas usually none). Disc florets 12-200+[-600+], bisexual , fertile [functionally staminate ]; corollas ochroleucous or yellow, tubes ± cylindric (bases sometimes adaxially saccate ), throats abruptly ampliate , lobes (3-) 4, ± deltate (sometimes one larger than others, usually each with central resin canal). Cypselae obovoid to oblong , ob-compressed or -flattened, ribs 2, lateral , sometimes becoming wings , faces ± papillate (pericarps relatively thin, sometimes with myxogenic cells and/or 2 lateral resin sacs ) ; pappi 0. x = 10.

Species 55: introduced ; s Old World; introduced also (perhaps some native ) in Mexico, South America, s Oceanic Islands .

Some species of Cotula are widely naturalized . F. Hrusa et al. (2002) reported Cotula mexicana (de Candolle) Cabrera as established on golf courses in California; it is similar to C. australis and differs in leaf blades mostly 1-pinnate, receptacles pilose , and disc florets functionally staminate.[1]

Physical Description

Habitat

Typically found at an altitude of 0 to 369 meters (0 to 1,211 feet).[2]

Biology

Growth

Sunlight: Sun Exposure: Sun to Partial Shade.

Taxonomy

Notes

Name Status: Accepted Name .

Comment: Data Providers: African Flowering Plants Database , SANBI, Govaerts World Compositae Checklist A-G, IPNI, Tropicos, New South Wales Flora Online, Western Australia Census, Electronic Flora of South Australia. GCC LSID: urn :lsid:compositae.org:names:CB44E1D3-C80D-437E-80D6-ED2BB009ED87

Last scrutiny: 14-Nov-09

Similar Species

Members of the genus Cotula

ZipcodeZoo has pages for 10 species, subspecies, varieties, forms, and cultivars in this genus:

C. australis (Australian Waterbuttons) · C. bipinnata (Ferny Cotula) · C. coronopifolia (Bachelors Buttons) · C. coronopifolia 'Cream Buttons' (Brassbuttons) · C. hemisphaerica (Pin-Cushion Weed) · C. hispida (Goudknopjes) · C. matricarioides (Pineapple Weed) · C. mexicana (Mexican Brassbuttons) · C. pilulifera (Stinknet) · C. prostrata (Yerba De Tago)

More Info

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• Search using Scientific Name and Vernacular Names: All the Web | AltaVista Canada | AltaVista | Excite | Google | HotBot | Lycos
• Search using Specialized Databases: GenBank | Medline | Scirus | CISTI/CAL | Agricola Periodicals | Agricola Books

Further Reading

• Annals of the South African Museum. Annale van die Suid-Afrikaanse Museum. Cape Town [etc., South African Museum, etc.] url p. 389.
• Bulletin of the Natural History Museum. London: The Natural History Museum, c1993-2002. url p. 158, p. 170.

Notes

Contributors

Data Sources

Accessed through GBIF Data Portal January 29, 2008:

• Australian National Herbarium
• , Australian National Herbarium
• National Herbarium of New South Wales, NSW herbarium collection

Identifiers

• Biodiversity Heritage Library NamebankID: 9022240
• Catalogue of Life Accepted Name Code: Ast-534
• Global Biodiversity Information Facility Taxonkey: 13851712
• Globally Unique Identifier: urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:198430-1
• Zipcode Zoo Species Identifier: 955893

Footnotes

1. Linda E. Watson "Cotula". in Flora of North America Vol. 19, 20 and 21 Page 52, 486, 543, 544. Oxford University Press. Online at EFloras.org. [back]
2. Mean = 173.570 meters (569.455 feet), Standard Deviation = 95.540 based on 61 observations. Altitude information for each observation from British Oceanographic Data Centre. [back]

©2004-2012 David Stang. All rights reserved.