''Cyathula prostrata'', the prostrate pastureweed, is a perennial, prostrate,
herb
In general use, herbs are a widely distributed and widespread group of plants, excluding vegetables and other plants consumed for macronutrients, with savory or aromatic properties that are used for flavoring and garnishing food, for medicinal ...
aceous
plant
Plants are predominantly photosynthetic eukaryotes of the kingdom Plantae. Historically, the plant kingdom encompassed all living things that were not animals, and included algae and fungi; however, all current definitions of Plantae exclud ...
distributed throughout the
tropical
The tropics are the regions of Earth surrounding the Equator. They are defined in latitude by the Tropic of Cancer in the Northern Hemisphere at N and the Tropic of Capricorn in
the Southern Hemisphere at S. The tropics are also referred to ...
and
subtropical
The subtropical zones or subtropics are geographical zone, geographical and Köppen climate classification, climate zones to the Northern Hemisphere, north and Southern Hemisphere, south of the tropics. Geographically part of the Geographical z ...
world.
Etymology and names
Etymology
*''Cyathula'': sy-ATH-uh-la - small cup.
*''prostrata'': prost-RAY-tuh - prostrate.
Names
*
*, ರಕ್ತಪಮರ್ಗ (raktapamarga)
*
*
*
Source:
Distribution and habitat
Native range
*
Africa
Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia in both cases. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of Earth's total surface area ...
: Benin, Burkina, The Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Ivory Coast, Liberia, Mali, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Togo, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Gulf of Guinea Is., Zaïre, Ethiopia, Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, Angola, Malawi, Mozambique, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Madagascar.
*
Asia-Temperate: China South-Central, China Southeast, Hainan, Taiwan.
*
Asia-Tropical: Assam, Bangladesh, East Himalaya, India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam, Borneo, Jawa, Lesser Sunda Islands, Peninsular Malaysia, Maluku, Philippines, Singapore, Sulawesi, Sumatera, Bismarck Archipelago, New Guinea, Solomon Is.
*
Pacific: Caroline Is.
Source:
Introduced range
Bolivia, Caroline Is., Cook Is., French Guiana, Guyana, Jamaica, Leeward Is., Marquesas, Mauritius, Puerto Rico, Réunion, Seychelles, Society Is., Suriname, Trinidad-Tobago, Tubuai Is., Venezuelan Antilles, Windward Is.
Description
*Habit : Perennial, prostrate herbs.
*Leaves : Opposite, rhomboid, acute at both ends, thinly pubescent; petiolate.
*Inflorescence : Spike terminal, slender, solitary or in group of three.
*Flowers : In groups of 3-5 of which one perfect and others neuter; bracts and bracteoles similar, lanceolate, acuminate, pubescent; tepals 5, free, elliptic, acute, hooked awn like in neutor flowers.
*Androecium : Stamens 5, filaments united into a membranous truncate cup; staminodes membranous, alternate with stamens, fimbriate.
*Gynoecium : Ovary ovoid, style simple, stigma capitellate.
*Fruits : Achenes, obovoid, compressed, golden brown.
*Flowering and fruiting : September-April.
India Biodiversity Portal
/ref>
Varieties
*''Cyathula prostrata'' var. ''prostrata''
*''Cyathula prostrata'' var. ''lancifolia'' - Philippines
The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no),
* bik, Republika kan Filipinas
* ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas
* cbk, República de Filipinas
* hil, Republ ...
.
*''Cyathula prostrata'' var. ''pedicellata'' - Tropical Africa
Although tropical Africa is mostly familiar to the West for its rainforests, this biogeographic realm of Africa is far more diverse. While the tropics are thought of as regions with hot moist climates, which are caused by latitude and the tropi ...
.
Uses and ecology
The plant is locally used as a medicine but also as a food and source of soap.Useful Tropical Plants
/ref> It is also recorded as a larval host plant of Fulvous Pied Flat butterfly.Butterflies of India
/ref>
References
{{Taxonbar, from=Q11102729
Amaranthaceae