Laggera alata

Names and Synonyms

Scientific Names

Accepted name

Synonyms

• Blumea alata
• Blumea salviifolia
• Conyza tetraptera
• Conyza salviifolia
• Erigeron alatus
• Inula exsiccata
• Laggera angustifolia

Regional and Traditional Names

Sources: Wikidata, Catalogue of Life

Taxonomical Classification

This plant belongs to the kingdom Plantae and is classified under the phylum Streptophyta within the class Equisetopsida. As a member of the subclass Magnoliidae and the order Asterales, it is specifically nested within the family Asteraceae. Its taxonomic identity is further defined by its placement in the genus Laggera.

Sources: The World Checklist of Vascular Plants (WCVP)

Distribution

This plant exhibits a specific geographical range that spans both Atlantic islands and the African mainland. Within the Macaronesia region, its presence is noted in Cape Verde. Its distribution extends significantly into West Tropical Africa across multiple nations. Specifically, it can be found growing in Benin, Burkina, and Ghana. Finally, the species is also documented within the borders of Ivory Coast.

Sources: The World Checklist of Vascular Plants (WCVP)

Botanical Identification

Life history

The life history of Laggera alatata is characterized by its classification as a perennial plant, allowing it to persist through multiple growing seasons. As a woody shrub or small tree, its developmental cycle involves a sustained period of vegetative growth followed by seasonal reproductive phases. The plant establishes a robust root system to support its long-term survival, eventually transitioning into its flowering stages to facilitate sexual reproduction. This perennial nature ensures that the species can maintain its presence within its ecological niche, undergoing successive cycles of leaf production, flowering, and seed dispersal over several years.

Lifecycle :

perennial

Morphology

The morphology of Laggera alata is characterized by its growth form as a non-woody herb, which manifests as a climbing plant. It functions as a self-supporting climber, utilizing its structural habit to ascend through its environment. In terms of physical dimensions, the plant can reach a maximum height of approximately 3.048 meters.

Climber :

self-supporting

Growth form :

herb

Plant height max:

3.048037064 m

Woodiness :

non-woody

Physiology

The physiology of Laggera alatata is characterized by a C3 photosynthetic pathway, which dictates its carbon fixation processes and metabolic efficiency in varying environmental conditions. Morphologically, its leaf architecture exhibits significant variability in dimensions, with leaf width ranging from a minimum of 2 cm to a maximum of 7.5 cm. The average leaf width for this species is recorded at 4.75 cm, reflecting a structural adaptation that influences its surface area for gas exchange and light interception.

Leaf width max:

7.5 cm

Leaf width mean:

4.75 cm

Leaf width min:

2 cm

Photosynthetic pathway :

C3

Reproduction

The reproduction of Laggera alatata is characterized by the production of extremely small reproductive structures. The fruit is minute in scale, maintaining a highly consistent dimension with a mean length of 0.1 cm, which is also reflected in its minimum and maximum recorded lengths of 0.1 cm. Accompanying these small fruits are seeds that exhibit remarkable uniformity in weight; the seed mass is consistently measured at a mean of 4e-05 g, with the minimum and maximum values also remaining constant at 4e-05 g. This lack of variance in both fruit size and seed mass suggests a highly standardized reproductive output for the species.

Fruit length max:

0.1 cm

Seed mass mean:

4e-05 g

Sources: Global Inventory of Floras and Traits (GIFT)

Chemicals

Laggera alata has 1 reported phytochemicals identified across 0 scientific publications and several other databases. The most consistently reported chemicals include Compound 5.

Compound 5

1. Journal of ethnopharmacology

Conditions

Laggera alata has 4 reported investigations on conditions identified across 0 scientific publications and several other databases. The most consistently reported conditions include bacterial infection, fever, inflammation, nephritis.

Bacterial infection

1. Zhongguo Zhong yao za zhi = Zhongguo zhongyao zazhi = China journal of Chinese materia medica

Fever

1. Zhongguo Zhong yao za zhi = Zhongguo zhongyao zazhi = China journal of Chinese materia medica

Inflammation

1. Zhongguo Zhong yao za zhi = Zhongguo zhongyao zazhi = China journal of Chinese materia medica

Nephritis

1. Journal of ethnopharmacology

Preparations

Laggera alata has 1 reported preparations identified across 0 scientific publications and several other databases. The most consistently reported preparations include methanol extract.

Methanol extract

1. Journal of ethnopharmacology