Emilia fosbergii Nicolson

Global description

Emilia fosbergii is an annual, upright species, measuring 20 cm to 1 m. In general the stems are pubescent at the base and almost glabrous upwards. The leaves are simple, alternate, of variable shape between the base and the top of the plant, obovate, pseudo-petiolate and open pennatilobed in the lower part of the plant, oval, with an embracing base around the stem and roughly lobed margin toothed in the upper part. Inflorescence terminal at the end of a long floriferous axis with 2 to 4 cylindrical heads of orange-red topurple tubular florets extending beyond the bracts. The fruit is an achene surmounted by a crown of long white silks.

Cotyledons

The cotyledons are spatulate. The lamina is glabrous, progressively lessening on the petiole.
 
First leaves

The first leaves are simple. The base is attenuated for a long time on the petiole. The limb is oval. The first leaves are green in color and usually have long hairs.
 
General habit

Emilia fosbergii is an erect annual herbaceous plant, with few branches, up to 1 m tall.
 
Underground system

The root is a taproot.
 
Stem

The stem is supple, cylindrical, hollow, often pubescent with long hairs.
 
Leaf

The leaves are simple and alternate, with toothed margin; they are of three types. The basal or lower are arranged in a rosette, they are 2-4 cm long and 2-3 cm wide, with oboval limb, often pennatilobed, subsessile or short petiolate, and more or less petioliform base or more or less embracing. The stem leaves are 8-13 cm long and 3-5 cm wide, lanceolate-oblong. They are sessile, often auriculate-amplexicaule, roughly toothed and embracing. The highest leaves are reduced to bracts. The upper surface is dotted with long, white, upright, multicellular hairs, while the lower face is glabrous except for the central vein, which is bristling with long white hairs.

Inflorescence

Inflorescence subcorymbiform at the end of the main axis, composed of 2-4 terminal capitula borne by a peduncle 15-36 mm long.

Flower

Cylindrical capitula, 2 to 3 times longer than wide (sometimes narrower at the apex) formed by an involucre of bracts 11-15 mm long and 5-7 mm in diameter (3 mm at the apex), generally pubescent towards the apex. Its 5 to 8 linear bracts, acute, arranged on a single row. The bracts are soldered fresh and separate at maturity. The florets are all tubular ending in 5 lobes, dark orange-red in color to purple and exceeding the involucral bracts at anthesis. The pistil and the stamens are yellow-orange.
 
Fruit

The fruits are linear achenes, brown, 3 to 6 mm long, strongly ribbed, hispid on the ribs. They carry at the top a pappus of white barbed bristles 5 to 8 (12) mm long, becoming caducous.

Origin

Emilia fosbergii is native to the Caribbean, Central America and tropical South America.

Worldwide distribution

It is widespread in South America and United States, Caribbean, Pacific, tropical Asia (Japan, Taiwan). It is absent in Africa and the Mascarenes.

https://www.gbif.org/species/5401508