This pretty daisy-like flower is very common all over the plains of
northern India. Tridax daisy stands about 30-60 cm high and has slightly
hairy stems. The leaves are ovate or lanceolate with toothed edges. The
small creamy or white flower has five petals which are notched on the outer
edges. The centre of the flower is yellow. This plant has flowers all the
year around, but from May to December is the time that it is fully in
bloom. It is found along paths, roadsides and in the crevices of walls and
rocks. It is a great favourite with low flying butterflies. In the areas
where there is a great concentration of these flowers one will find plenty
of butterflies too.
Its fruit is a hard achene covered with stiff hairs and having a feathery,
plumelike white pappus at one end. Calyx is represented by scales or reduced
to pappus. Tridax daisy is native to Mexico to Tropical America, but
has naturalized in Eastern Himalaya, India, Africa and Australia.
Identification credit: Shaista Ahmad
Photographed in Delhi & Pelling, Sikkim.
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The flower labeled Tridax Daisy is ...
aturalized
