Botanical name: Blumea lacera    Family: Asteraceae (Sunflower family)
Synonyms: Blumea lactucifolia, Blumea glandulosa, Blumea bodinieri

Lettuce-Leaf Blumea is an annual herb with a strong odor, distributed throughout the plains of north-west India, up to an altitude of 2,000 m. The stems of this hairy or glandular herb are erect, simple or branched, very leafy and 1-2 ft in height. The leaves are obovate or oblanceolate, 5-12 cm long, 2-6 cm wide, smaller toward the top, stalked, and toothed or (rarely) lobulated at the margins. The bright yellow flowering heads are about 8 mm across, borne on short axillary cymes, and collected in terminal, spike-like panicles. The involucre-bracts are narrow and hairy. The achenes are not ribbed, are somewhat 4-angled, and are smooth. Lettuce-Leaf Blumea is found in Tropical & Subtropical Asia to SW Pacific.
Medicinal uses: Blumea is described by Ayurveda experts as hot, pungent and bitter; antipyretic; good for bronchitis, diseases of the blood, fevers, thirst and burning sensations. The root kept in the mouth is said to cure disease of the mouth. In the Konkan region of India, the plant is used to drive away fleas and other insects. In Homoeopathic system, it is given in enuresis, neuralgia, headache and cold borne cough.

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The flower labeled Lettuce-Leaf Blumea is ...