Although not given in the original key of Acmella Monograph by Jansen, but in the description is mentioned that heads of Acmella calva are mostly discoid but may be rarely radiate. I have as such modified the key for Indian species to accomodate this. This is also available on our website:
https://sites.google.com/site/efloraofindia/species/a---l/ar/asteraceae/acmella The following key can help differentiating species in India of species earlier treated under *Spilanthes* * * 1a. Heads with white ray florets, achenes 3-angled............. *Blainvillea acmella* 1b. Heads discoid or with yellow ray florets, achenes flattened....................(2) 2a. Heads discoid...................................................................................(3) 2b. Heads radiate, ray florets very small, achenes ciliate, pappus of 2-3 bristles.........................................................................(7) 3a. Corolla white, greenish white or with purple tinge, 4-merous, pappus of 2-3 bristles................................*Acmella radicans var. radicans* 3b. Corolla pale yellow, yellow or orange yellow.........................................(4) 4a. Pappus absent; stems decumbent, rooting at nodes; leaves ovate, ahenes 1.7-2.2 mm, glabrous, if sparsely hairy then hairs hooked ........................................................................*Acmella calva* 4b. Pappus of 2-3 bristles, achenes hairy, hairs straight, stems erect without nodal roots.....................................................................(5) 5a. Mature achenes with cork-like margin; surface tuberculate.................................................................... *Acmella paniculata* 5b. Mature achenes without cork-like margin; surface not tuberculate..........(6) 6a. Corolla (disc floret) 4-merous, phyllaries 5-6, uniseriate, heads 5.8-8 mm high, 4-6 mm diam.,receptacle 3-6 mm high.....*Acmella uliginosa* 6b. Corolla 5-merous, phyllaries 15-18, triseriate, heads 8-23 mm high, 6-17 mm diam., receptacle 6-21 mm high, leaves ovate-deltate........................................*Acmella oleracea* 7a. Mature achenes with evident cork-like margin; disc corolla 5-merous; heads ovoid; leaves broadly ovate with rounded to cordate base; phyllaries 7-10, biseriate; heads 6-10 mm high, 6-9 mm in diam, receptacle 4-8 mm high.............................................................................. *Acmella ciliata* 7b. Mature achenes without cork-like margin; leaf base cuneate.................(8) 8a. Disc corolla 4-merous, heads cone-shaped; leaves elliptic to narrowly ovate, cuneate at base; phyllaries 5-6, heads 5.8-8 mm high, 4-6 mm diam. receptacle 3-6 mm high; achenes 1.2-1.8 mm long, ciliate with straight hairs; pappus of two unequal or subequal bristles, one up to 0.7 mm long second up to 0.5 mm long..........................*Acmella uliginosa* 8b. Disc corolla 5-merous; phyllaries 8-11, biseriate; heads 7.5-11.5 mm high, 6-8.5 mm diam, receptacle 5-8.5 mm high; achenes ahenes 1.7-2.2 mm, glabrous, if sparsely hairy then hairs hooked; pappus absent.........*Acmella calva* -- Dr. Gurcharan Singh Retired Associate Professor SGTB Khalsa College, University of Delhi, Delhi-110007 Res: 932 Anand Kunj, Vikas Puri, New Delhi-110018. Phone: 011-25518297 Mob: 9810359089 http://www.gurcharanfamily.com/ http://people.du.ac.in/~singhg45/ On Thu, Jan 12, 2012 at 3:54 AM, Giby Kuriakose <[email protected]>wrote: > Very useful and easy key > Thank you sir for the same. > > Thanks and Regards > Giby > > > > > On 16 October 2011 20:13, Gurcharan Singh <[email protected]> wrote: > >> *Blainvillea acmella* (Linnaeus) Philipson, Blumea 6 350 1950. >> syn: *Verbesina* *acmella* L.; *Blainvillea alba* Edgew.; *Blainvillea >> platyphylla* DC >> >> Roughly hairy stiff erect herb; lower leaves opposite, upper alternate, >> ovate to deltate, up to 7 cm long, toothed; heads radiate, 8-12 mm in diam; >> phyllaries few, outer leaflike; ray usually white, 2-3 lobed, disc >> 5-merous; achenes 3-angled, inner flattened; pappus of 2-5 unequal >> bristles. >> >> Photographed from near Dakpathar on way to Chakrata. >> >> Perhaps no other binomial has been so confused as Spilanthes acmella >> >> The name Spilanthes acmella is based on Verbesina acmella L. The >> combination under Spilanthes appeared in Syst. Veg., ed. 13" 610 1774. >> Till recently the combination was attributed to Murray in many reputed >> books, Floras and databases (The Plant List, eFlora publications,etc.) >> but as turns out Murray was only the editor of this publication and >> Linnaeus the author of this combination, which should correctly be cited as >> Spilanthes acmella (L.) L. Flora of British India recognises four varieties >> under this: var acmella proper, var. calva, var. oleracea and var. >> paniculata. Interestingly Koster and Philipson (1950) discovered that the >> Verbesina acmella L., actually belongs to Blainvillea and should be better >> known as Blainvillea acmella (L.) Philipson. The other names stay under >> newly recognised genus Acmella and none (Indian species) under Spilanthes. >> Incidently also the Blainvillea acmella (L.) Philipson includes another >> species described in Indian Floras as Blainvillea platyphylla DC. The >> species originally described as Spilanthes may accordingly include >> following within Indian boundaries: >> >> *Blainvillea acmella* (L.) Philipson (syn: *Verbesina acmella* L.; >> *Spilanthes >> acmella* (L.) L.; *Blainvillea latifolia* (L.f.) DC) >> >> *Acmella calva* (DC) R. K. Jensen (syn: *Spilanthes* *acmella* var. * >> calva* (DC.) Clarke ex Hooker f.; *Spilanthes* *javanica* Sch.Bip. ex >> Miq.) >> >> *Acmella ciliata* (Kunth) Cass. (syn: *Spilanthes ciliata* Kunth.) >> >> *Acmella oleracea* (L.) R. K. Jensen (syn: *Spilanthes* *acmella* var. * >> oleracea* (L.) C.B.Clarke ex Hook.f.; *Spilanthes oleracea* L.) >> >> *Acmella paniculata* (Wall. ex DC) R. K. Jensen (syn: *Spilanthes* * >> acmella* var. *paniculata* (Wall. ex DC.) C.B. Clarke ex Hook. f.; * >> Spilanthes* *paniculata* Wall. ex DC. >> >> *Acmella radicans* (Jacq.) R. K. Jensen var. *radicans *(syn: Spilanthes >> radicans Jacq.) >> >> The following key can help differentiating species >> >> 1a. Heads with white ray florets, achenes >> 3-angled.......................................................... >> *Blainvillea >> acmella* >> 1b. Heads discoid or with yellow ray florets, achenes >> flattened.........................................(2) >> >> 2a. Heads >> discoid.........................................................................................................(3) >> 2b. Heads radiate, ray florets very small, achenes ciliate, pappus of 2-3 >> bristles.................(7) >> >> 3a. Corolla white, greenish white or with purple tinge, 4-merous, pappus >> of 2-3 bristles...........*Acmella radicans var. radicans* >> 3b. Corolla pale yellow, yellow or orange >> yellow.................................................................(4) >> >> 4a. Pappus absent; stems decumbent, rooting at nodes; leaves ovate, >> ahenes 1.7-2.2 mm, >> glabrous, if sparsely hairy then hairs hooked >> .................................................................*Acmella >> calva* >> 4b. Pappus of 2-3 bristles, achenes hairy, hairs straight, stems erect >> without nodal roots.......(5) >> >> 5a. Mature achenes with cork-like margin; surface >> tuberculate..............................................*Acmella >> paniculata* >> 5b. Mature achenes without cork-like margin; surface not >> tuberculate....................................(6) >> >> 6a. Corolla (disc floret) 4-merous, phyllaries 5-6, uniseriate, heads >> 5.8-8 mm high, >> 4-6 mm diam.,receptacle 3-6 mm >> high........................................................................... >> *Acmella uliginosa* >> 6b. Corolla 5-merous, phyllaries 15-18, triseriate, heads 8-23 mm high, >> 6-17 mm diam., >> receptacle 6-21 mm high, leaves >> ovate-deltate................................................................ >> *Acmella oleracea* >> * >> * >> 7a. Mature achenes with evident cork-like margin; disc corolla 5-merous; >> heads >> ovoid; leaves broadly ovate with rounded to cordate base; phyllaries >> 7-10, biseriate; >> heads 6-10 mm high, 6-9 mm in diam, receptacle 4-8 mm >> high.........................................*Acmella ciliata* >> 7b. Mature achenes without cork-like margin; disc corolla 4-merous, heads >> cone-shaped; >> leaves elliptic to narrowly ovate, cuneate at base; phyllaries >> 5-6, heads 5.8-8 mm high, >> 4-6 mm diam.,receptacle 3-6 mm >> high............................................................................ >> *Acmella uliginosa* >> >> I will be uploading Blainvillea acmella, Acmella ciliata, Acmella >> ciliata, A. uliginosa and A. oleracea >> >> Other friends may try to upload Acmella calva, Acmella paniculata and >> Acmella rdicans, which are available especially in Mysore and other parts >> of Karnataka >> >> I am uploading this key in the website also for convenience. >> >> >> >> -- >> Dr. Gurcharan Singh >> Retired Associate Professor >> SGTB Khalsa College, University of Delhi, Delhi-110007 >> Res: 932 Anand Kunj, Vikas Puri, New Delhi-110018. >> Phone: 011-25518297 Mob: 9810359089 >> http://people.du.ac.in/~singhg45/ >> >> > > > -- > GIBY KURIAKOSE PhD > Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and the Environment (ATREE), > Royal Enclave, > Jakkur Post, Srirampura > Bangalore- 560064 > India > Phone - +91 9448714856 (Mobile) > visit my pictures @ http://www.flickr.com/photos/giby > --
