Pluchea odorata

Pluchea odorata is a species of flowering plant in the aster family, Asteraceae. Common names include sweetscent,[2] saltmarsh fleabane[1] and shrubby camphorweed.

Pluchea odorata
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Asterids
Order: Asterales
Family: Asteraceae
Genus: Pluchea
Species:
P. odorata
Binomial name
Pluchea odorata

Distribution

The plant is native to the United States, Mexico, Central America, the Caribbean, and northern South America. It inhabits wetlands and other coastal habitats and moist inland areas, often in saline substrates.

It is an introduced species and a noxious weed in Hawaii and New Caledonia.[3]

Description

Pluchea odorata is an annual or perennial herb growing erect to a maximum height over one meter. It is glandular, coated in rough trichomes (hairs), and strongly aromatic. The toothed oval leaves are up to 12 cm (4.7 in) long and alternately arranged on the stiff stems.

The inflorescence is a large cluster of many flower heads. Each head is less than 1 cm (0.39 in) long and filled with bright pinkish-purple or magenta flowers.

The fruit is a tiny achene tipped with a bristly pappus.

Uses

In some parts of the Caribbean, saltmarsh fleabane is a widely consumed medicinal herbal tea. The hot tea made from the leaves is a stimulant. It stimulates perspiration, in the manner of pleurisy root or pennyroyal, and is diuretic. It is a safe and reliable menstrual stimulant when flow begins late, is scanty, and there are clotty cramps. Moreover, it is antispasmodic, thus relieving cramping. It similarly inhibits spasms and cramps from diarrhea and stomach ache. Used as an eyewash it reduces redness and pain from hay fever, wind and dust. Tea concentrate has been marketed as a coffee substitute. Unlike coffee which is a vasoconstrictor, sweetscent tea is a vasodilator. It is contraindicated for people who get migraines, during pregnancy, and should be used in moderation.[4][5]

References
  1. "Pluchea odorata". Germplasm Resources Information Network. Agricultural Research Service, United States Department of Agriculture. Retrieved 2010-02-27.
  2. "Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center - The University of Texas at Austin". www.wildflower.org. Retrieved 2021-08-28.
  3. Hequet, Vanessa (2009). Les espèces exotiques envahissantes de Nouvelle-Calédonie (PDF) (in French). p. 17.
  4. "Plant of the Month (September) : Sweetscent (Salt-marsh Fleabane) - Pluchea odorata". Mother Nature's Back Yard. 2012-09-07. Retrieved 2015-09-16.
  5. "Marsh Fleabane". Natural History of Orange County, California and nearby places. 2007-11-20. Retrieved 2015-09-16.

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