Tussilago farfara, commonly known as coltsfoot, is a plant in the groundsel tribe in the daisy family Asteraceae, native to Europe and parts of western and central Asia. The name "tussilago" is derived from the Latin tussis, meaning cough, and ago, meaning to cast or to act on. It has had uses in traditional medicine, but the discovery of toxic pyrrolizidine alkaloids in the plant has resulted in liver health concerns.
Crassocephalum crepidioides, also called ebolo, thickhead, redflower ragleaf, or fireweed, is an erect annual slightly succulent herb growing up to 180 cm tall. Its use is widespread in many tropical and subtropical regions, but is especially prominent in tropical Africa. Its fleshy, mucilaginous leaves and stems are eaten as a vegetable, and many parts of the plant have medical uses. However, the safety of internal use needs further research due to the presence of plant toxins.
Eupatorium capillifolium, or dogfennel, is a North American perennial herbaceous plant in the sunflower family, native to the eastern and south-central United States. It is generally between 50 cm and 2 meters tall with several stems that fork from a substantial base. The stems and base are covered in leaves so dissected that they resemble branching green threads coming out of the stem in fractal patterns. When crushed, the leaves and flowers smell rather unpleasant.
Petasites japonicus, also known as butterbur, giant butterbur, great butterbur and sweet-coltsfoot, is an herbaceous perennial plant in the family Asteraceae. It is native to China, Japan, Korea and Sakhalin and introduced in Europe and North America. It was introduced to southern British Columbia by Japanese immigrants.
Eupatorium cannabinum, commonly known as hemp-agrimony, or holy rope, is a herbaceous plant of the daisy family. It is a robust perennial native to many areas of Europe. It is cultivated as an ornamental and occasionally found as a garden escape in scattered locations in China, the United States and Canada. It is extremely attractive to butterflies, much like buddleia.
Chromolaena odorata is a tropical and subtropical species of flowering shrub in the sunflower family. It is native to the Americas, from Florida and Texas in the United States south through Mexico and the Caribbean to South America. It has been introduced to tropical Asia, West Africa, and parts of Australia.
Pyrrolizidine alkaloids (PAs), sometimes referred to as necine bases, are a group of naturally occurring alkaloids based on the structure of pyrrolizidine. Pyrrolizidine alkaloids are produced by plants as a defense mechanism against insect herbivores. More than 660 PAs and PA N-oxides have been identified in over 6,000 plants, and about half of them exhibit hepatotoxicity. They are found frequently in plants in the Boraginaceae, Asteraceae, Orchidaceae and Fabaceae families; less frequently in the Convolvulaceae and Poaceae, and in at least one species in the Lamiaceae. It has been estimated that 3% of the world’s flowering plants contain pyrrolizidine alkaloids. Honey can contain pyrrolizidine alkaloids, as can grains, milk, offal and eggs. To date (2011), there is no international regulation of PAs in food, unlike those for herbs and medicines.
Euonymus fortunei, the spindle, Fortune's spindle, winter creeper or wintercreeper, is a species of flowering plant in the family Celastraceae, native to east Asia, including China, Korea, the Philippines and Japan. It is named after the Scottish botanist and plant explorer Robert Fortune. Euonymus is highly invasive and damaging in the United States, causing the death of trees and forest in urban areas.
Ageratum conyzoides is native to Tropical America, especially Brazil, and is an invasive weed in many other regions. It is an herb that is 0.5–1 m. high, with ovate leaves 2–6 cm long, and flowers are white to mauve.
Nepenthes lingulata is a tropical pitcher plant endemic to northern Sumatra. The species is characterised by the highly developed appendage present on the underside of the lid. The specific epithet lingulata is derived from the Latin word lingula, meaning "small tongue", and refers to this unique morphological feature.
Cynoglossum amabile, the Chinese hound's tongue or Chinese forget-me-not, is a species of flowering plant in the family Boraginaceae, native to Asia. A hardy annual growing to 50 cm (20 in), it has hairy leaves and cymes of sky-blue flowers in late summer. This plant, closely related to the common forget-me-not of temperate gardens, is also grown as an ornamental. In cultivation in the UK it has gained the Royal Horticultural Society’s Award of Garden Merit..
Emilia sonchifolia, also known as lilac tasselflower or cupid's shaving brush, is tropical flowering species of tasselflower in the sunflower family. It is widespread in tropical regions around the world, apparently native to Asia and naturalized in Africa, Australia, the Americas, and various oceanic islands.
Farfugium japonicum is a species of flowering plant in the family Asteraceae, also known as leopard plant, green leopard plant or tractor seat plant. It is native to streams and seashores of Japan, where it is called tsuwabuki (石蕗).
Cordia myxa is a species of flowering plant in the borage family, Boraginaceae. It is a medium-sized broad-leaved deciduous tree. Common names include Assyrian plum, lasura, pidar, panugeri, naruvilli, geduri, spistan, burgund dulu wanan and ntege. It is found growing primarily in Asia, as well as, across the globe especially in tropical regions having the right type of geophysical environment. It is seen coming up naturally and growing abundantly from Myanmar in the east to Lebanon and Syria in the west. Its habitat starts at about 200 m above mean sea level in the plains and ascends to an altitude around 1,500 m in the hills.
Ligularia dentata is a species of flowering plant in the genus Ligularia and the family Asteraceae, native to China and Japan.
Eupatorium chinense is a plant species in the family Asteraceae. The exact boundaries of this species have been defined differently by different authors. King and Robinson's 1987 paper defines it broadly, to include Eupatorium japonicum, Eupatorium makinoi, some varieties of Eupatorium fortunei, and other plants sometimes considered to be separate species.
Eupatorium japonicum, known as fragrant eupatorium in English and 白头婆 bai tou po, in Chinese, is a herbaceous plant species in Asteraceae. It is native to China, Japan and Korea.
Heliotropium indicum, commonly known as Indian heliotrope, Indian Turnsole is an annual, hirsute plant that is a common weed in waste places and settled areas. It is native to Asia. It is widely used in native medicine in Tamil Nadu, India.
Mahonia fortunei is a species of shrubs in the family Berberidaceae, the barberry family, described as a species in 1846. It is endemic to China, found in the provinces of Chongqing, Guangxi, Guizhou, Hubei, Hunan, Jiangxi, Sichuan, Taiwan, and Zhejiang. It is grown as an ornamental in many lands, with common names including Chinese mahonia, Fortune's mahonia, and holly grape.
Eupatorium macrocephalum Less. aka pompom weed, is a cosmopolitan perennial plant belonging to the family of Asteraceae and regarded as an invasive weed in some countries. It is native to the southern United States, Central America, South America and was introduced to South Africa. It is classed as a principal weed in Brazil. In South Africa it has been cultivated as an ornamental, is often found on roadsides, and has become of concern for its invading of undisturbed climax grassland and wetlands since the 1960s. It is closely related to Siam weed, and is one of some 268 species in the genus.
