This name is not universally accepted. Many authorities use Pseudelephantopus spicatus (B.Juss. Ex Aubl.) C.F.Baker, as the correct name[].

Common Name:

General Information

Elephantopus spicatus is a freely-branching, erect, herbaceous perennial plant with a strong taproot, growing 30 - 120cm tall[, ].
The plant is harvested from the wild for local use as a medicine and broom.

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

,

Range

S. America - Peru, Ecuador, Colombia, Venezuela, the Guyanas; C. America - Panama to Mexico; Caribbean.

Habitat

Damp or wet thickets or open fields, often a weed in waste or cultivated ground or on sandbars along streams, at elevations from sea level to 1,600 metres in Guatemala[].

Properties

Weed Potential	Yes
Medicinal Rating
Other Uses Rating
Habit	Perennial
Height	0.60 m
Cultivation Status	Wild

Cultivation Details

The plant has spread widely from its original range in tropical America and can now be found throughout much of the tropics. A common, troublesome and vigorous weed, it can be found growing by roadsides, in waste places and as a weed in pastoral, plantation, and agricultural lands[, ].

Edible Uses

None known

Medicinal

The leaves are vulnerary[, ]. They are applied topically as a specific treatment for eczema[, ].

Other Uses

The stalks and leaves, being hard, are made use of as brooms to sweep houses[].

Propagation

Seed -

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