✿Asteraceae · Tithonia
Kanak Gol / Mexican Sunflower
Tithonia diversifolia
ShruboutdoorMedicinal
- Habit
- Shrub
- Found in India
- Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Kerala & more
- Flowering
- September-May
Plant Details
- Scientific name
- Tithonia diversifolia
- Genus
- Tithonia
- Family
- Asteraceae
- Habit
- Shrub
- Native to
- Tropical south America
- Distribution
- Introduced in tropics
- Found in India
- Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Kerala, Maharashtra, Mizoram, Andhra Pradesh, Goa, West Bengal, Telangana, Odisha, Assam, Uttarakhand, Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Puducherry, Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh, Manipur
- Flowering & fruiting
- September-May
- Conservation status
- Not Evaluated (NE)
Leaf characters
- Leaf arrangement
- AlternaterecordedOne leaf per node, arranged in a spiral or zigzag up the stem.“The leaves of the plant alternate in sides they grow on, which is where the plant gets the name diversifolia.” — Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Leaf shape
- OvaterecordedEgg-shaped, broader near the base.“Leaves are sub-ovate, serrate, acute, 10 to 40 cm long, simply or mostly 3-7 lobed, somewhat glandular, and slightly grayish beneath.” — Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Leaf margin
- ToothedrecordedA saw-like or jagged edge (serrate or dentate).“Leaves are sub-ovate, serrate, acute, 10 to 40 cm long, simply or mostly 3-7 lobed, somewhat glandular, and slightly grayish beneath.” — Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Leaf surface
- Pubescent (softly hairy)recorded
Typical of the family
Characters marked “recorded” are for Kanak Gol itself; the rest are typical of the Asteraceae family.
Flower & fruit characters
- Flower colour
- Orangerecorded
- Fruit type
- AchenerecordedA small, dry, single-seeded fruit that does not split open.“The seeds are achenes, 4-angled, and 5mm long.” — Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0
Typical of the family
- Flower symmetry
- Actinomorphic (radially symmetrical)
- Inflorescence
- Head
- Fruit
- Achene
Characters marked “recorded” are for Kanak Gol itself; the rest are typical of the Asteraceae family — flowering plants only.
Local Names
- Nepali
- काँडे पुतली फूल Kaande Putalee Phool
- Tamil
- காட்டுச் சூரியகாந்தி
- Marathi
- कनकगोल Kanak gol
About Kanak Gol
A member of the Asteraceae family, Mexican Sunflower (Tithonia diversifolia) is a shrub. In India it has been recorded in Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Kerala and 15 other states. Flowering and fruiting run from September to May.
Uses
It is harvested for fodder.
Botanical family
Asteraceae
Daisy/Sunflower family
Kanak Gol belongs to the Asteraceae family.
The illustration represents the family — not necessarily this exact species.
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