Wedelia

Description:

Yellow flower, shiny fleshy green leaves

Habitat:

Tropical

Notes:

Common name: Wedelia Scientific name: Sphagneticola trilobata Geographic area of origin: Mexico and Central and South America Common uses/hazards/importance: Used commonly as ornamental plant and groundcover/ also used as herb for hepatitis, indigestion due to sluggish liver, and infections Distinguishing features: yellow, 3 notched rays and yellow disks, leaves are fleshy, green, shiny, irregularly toothed or serrate, and narrowly egg-shaped Date and method of arrival in Hawaii: Introduced sometime before 1965 by flower gardeners or architects contracted to landscape new tourist resorts (method not mentioned) Indigenous? No Endemic? No Invasive? Yes Other interesting historical, cultural, or ecological information: seems to be equally suited to dry and moist sites/ commonly spread by dumping garden waste/ also nicknamed “creeping oxeye”