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HerbWildPerennialMedicinal

Eclipta prostrata (L.) L.

Bhangra
Synonyms: Verbesina prostrata L.; Eclipta alba (L.) Hassk. (widely used but now treated as a synonym)

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Description

Eclipta prostrata is an annual to short-lived perennial herb, usually 20–60 cm tall, with erect or decumbent, much-branched stems that root at the lower nodes. Stems are green and sparsely hairy. Leaves are opposite, sessile or nearly sessile, lanceolate to narrowly elliptic, with serrulate margins and rough surfaces. Flower heads are small, solitary, and borne at the ends of branches or in the leaf axils. Ray florets are white and inconspicuous, surrounding numerous tubular yellowish-white disc florets. Fruits are black, flattened achenes without a pappus.

Diagnostic Characters

Vegetative
Opposite lanceolate leaves and branched stems often rooting at the lower nodes.
Floral
Small white flower heads with short ray florets surrounding numerous disc florets.
Fruit & Seed
Black flattened achenes lacking a pappus.

Distribution

Native range: Tropical and subtropical America (origin uncertain due to widespread naturalization).

Introduced range: Widely distributed throughout tropical and subtropical regions worldwide.

In Pakistan: Common throughout Pakistan.

Phenology

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Flowering
Fruiting
Flowering: March–November Fruiting: April–December

Ethnobotany & Uses

Medicinal Uses
Widely used in traditional medicine for treating liver disorders, wounds, skin diseases, fever, and digestive ailments. The leaves are commonly used to promote hair growth and are an important ingredient in herbal hair oils.
Pharmacological Importance
Rich in coumestans (especially wedelolactone), flavonoids, and triterpenoids with reported hepatoprotective, antimicrobial, antioxidant, and anti-inflammatory activities.
Other Uses
Young leaves are occasionally consumed as a leafy vegetable in some regions.
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Where it grows on campus

North-North-West Campus1
1
individuals mapped across 1 zone
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Taxonomic Notes

Eclipta prostrata was formerly known as Eclipta alba, a name still frequently encountered in medicinal literature. Modern taxonomic treatments recognize E. prostrata as the accepted name. It is readily identified by its opposite leaves, small white flower heads, and black flattened achenes. The species is accepted by Flora of Pakistan, Plants of the World Online (POWO), and World Flora Online (WFO).