Common name: Indian weed, St. Paul’s wort. Tamil Name: Katampam
Indian weed is a sub-shrub that grows to a height of about 1 meter. The plant has presence in large parts of Asia and Africa. It is present in all hill areas towns of Western ghats in Tamilnadu-found generally between 900 MSL to around 1800 MSL. They are often seen along forest edges and road-sides in these regions. The plant is pubescent, hairy and has a sticky feel. The branches are greenish with heavy purple streaking. The leaves are arranged in an opposite manner; the leaf margin is dentate; the leaf shape is generally triangular-ovate; with an acute tip and an cuneate base. The leaf lamella is seen growing over the leaf stalk. The plant and leaf size is highly variable, while some plants grow to more than a meter in height, others remain small- but they all produce flowers. The inflorescence is terminal or axillary. The flower heads are protected by a biseriate involucral bracts. The outer rim of the flower head has the female flowers which are ligulate. The disc flowers are yellow in color. The fruit is in the form of an achene; seeds are dark brown and sticky.
