Pluchea dioscoridis
Pluchea dioscoridis (L.) DC.
Pluchea dioscoridis is a shrub species in the Asteraceae family, distributed across several regions in Africa and the Middle East. It is found in damp habitats, such as river and lake shores. The plant is known locally in Angola as 'kitoko (kb)' and has medicinal uses. It is listed as Least Concern (LC) in terms of conservation status by IUCN (2017).
Description
Pluchea dioscoridis, described in 1836, is a member of the Asteraceae family and is native to regions including Angola, Botswana, Burundi, Egypt, Ethiopia, Iraq, Kenya, Lebanon-Syria, and others. It grows in moist environments, particularly near water bodies. The species is documented as having traditional medicinal applications. The nomenclatural history of the species includes clarification regarding the type specimen, which has been resolved as Herb. Linn. 992.6, following the work of Hasselquist and as accepted by King-Jones (1999, 2001).
Distribution
SZ · QA · Angola · Botswana · Burundi · Canary Is. · Chad · Djibouti · Egypt · Eritrea · Ethiopia · Gulf States · Iraq · Kenya · KwaZulu-Natal · Lebanon-Syria · Mozambique · Northern Provinces · Oman · Palestine · Saudi Arabia · Sinai · Somalia · Sudan · Swaziland · Tanzania · Uganda · Yemen · Zambia · Zimbabwe
Synonyms
Conyza modatensisBaccharis aegyptiacaConyza kraussiiPluchea kraussiiConyza dioscoridisDimorphanthes aegyptiacaPluchea dioscoridis var. dioscoridisBaccharis dioscoridisBlumea baccharoidesPluchea dioscoridis var. pseudovalisPluchea dioscoridis var. glabraConyza odora
