Cotula is a genus of flowering plant that belongs to the sunflower family including plants known as buttonweeds or water buttons. The species belongs to the genus that varies extensively in habit, leaf division, receptacle, and achenes. The genus is defined by viewing at corollas of the flowers. Most are disciform which lacks ray florets. The corollas are tubular, reduced, and even absent. Another characteristic is it has solitary heads that grow on peduncles.
Cotula is soft annual herb that reaches 40-50 cm high. The plant bears alternate, finely divided leaves about 5-6 cm long, 1.5-2 cm wide and obovate to oblanceolate. Stems are much-branched usually 20 cm long and 1-2 mm wide. The flowers are pale yellow to cream and about 4-5 mm in diameter. The plant blooms from winter to spring season. Flowers are then followed by flattened fruits usually about 1-1.5 mm long.
Alternate, finely divided, 5-6 cm long, 1.5-2 cm wide, obovate to oblanceolate
Flowering Season
Winter to Spring (July to October)
Flower
Pale-yellow to cream, 4-5 mm diameter
Fruit shape & size
Flattened, 1-1.5 mm long
Cotula Scientific Classification
Scientific Name: Cotula
Rank
Scientific Name & (Common Name)
Kingdom
Plantae (Plants)
Subkingdom
Viridiplantae (Green plants)
Infrakingdom
Streptophyta (Land plants)
Superdivision
Embryophyta
Division
Tracheophyta (Vascular plants, tracheophytes)
Class
Magnoliopsida
Order
Asterales
Family
Asteraceae (Sunflowers, tournesols)
Genus
Cotula L. (Waterbuttons, water buttons)
Synonyms
Baldingeria Neck.
Cenia Comm. ex Juss.
Cotyla Kuntze & Post
Ctenosperma Hook.f.
Gymnogyne Steetz
Laggera Sch.Bip. ex Walp.
Lancisia Fabr.
Lancisia Lam.
Machlis DC.
Otochlamys DC.
Peyrousea DC.
Pleione K.Koch
Strongylosperma Less.
Culinary and Medicinal Uses
In Peru, the herb is used for flavoring dishes.
Flowers are used to preparing herbal tea.
It is used to treat various health ailments such as diarrhea, cough, colic, rheumatism, digestive disorders, urinary and pulmonary infections, headaches and fevers.
Use the cold infusion for gastric debility with flatus.
Hot infusion is used as diaphoretic and emetic to provide relief from colds due to sudden cutaneous chilling.
It decreases pain in dysmenorrhea.
The oil is used as carminative and for colic and intestinal cramps.
Cotula, Waterbuttons, Bachelors’ buttons, Buttonweeds Cotula is a genus of flowering plant that belongs to the sunflower family including plants known as buttonweeds or water buttons. The species belongs to the genus that varies extensively in habit, leaf division, receptacle, and achenes. The genus is defined by viewing at corollas of the flowers. Most are disciform which lacks ray florets. […]...
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