Practical
Plants

Emilia sonchifolia

Cupid's Shaving Brush

an annual member of the Emilia genus in the family Compositae.

No photo available

Taxonomy and growth

Genus
Emilia
Life cycle
annual
Height
0.6 m
Fertility
Self fertile, Insects
Flower type
hermaphrodite
Pollinators
Insects

Uses

Edible uses

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

Leaves and young shoots - raw or cooked[7][12][14][2][5][11]. Used as a vegetable[11]. The whole plant, including the flowers, can be eaten raw or cooked[3]. The leaves are usually harvested and used before the plant flowers[6]. A nutritional analysis of the leaves is available[9]. The powdered plant is used to prepare a cake fermented with yeast (called marcha in Nepal) from which liquor is distilled[11].

Plant part
Leaves

Medicinal uses

Historical medicinal uses. These records describe reported uses. They do not establish safety or effectiveness. Ask a qualified health professional before using any plant medicinally.

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

A tea made from the leaves is used in the treatment of dysentery[9]. The juice of the leaves is used in treating eye inflammations, night blindness, cuts and wounds and sore ears[10][11]. The plant is astringent, depurative, diuretic, expectorant, febrifuge and sudorific[4][9][11]. It is used in the treatment of infantile tympanites and bowel complaints[10]. The juice of the root is used in the treatment of diarrhoea[10][11]. The flower heads are chewed and kept in the mouth for about 10 minutes to protect teeth from decay[11].

Product or use
Depurative
Product or use
Diaphoretic
Product or use
Diuretic
Product or use
Febrifuge
Product or use
Ophthalmic
Product or use
Astringent
Product or use
Expectorant
Product or use
Odontalgic

Environment

Range
Tropical Asia.
Habitat
Waste ground in C. and S. Japan[13]. Moist areas and uncultivated ground at elevations up to 1700 metres in Nepal[11].
Light
full sun
Shade tolerance
no shade
Water
moderate
Hardiness
Zone 9+
Soil textures
sandy, loamy, clay
Soil pH
acid, neutral, alkaline
Drainage
well drained
Tolerates Nutritionally Poor Soil
No
Drought
intolerant

Propagation

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

Seed - sow early spring in a greenhouse and only just cover the seed. When large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and plant them out after the last expected frosts[1][8]. The seed can also be sown outdoors in situ in the middle of spring[1][8].

Cultivation

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

An easily grown plant[1], succeeding in most well-drained soils in a sunny position[8]. Plants flower better when growing on nutritionally poor soils, producing much lusher growth on rich soils[8]. Plants are drought tolerant once established[8]. Plants are not frost hardy, but they succeed outdoors in Britain as a spring-sown annual[8]. Slugs can be a problem with this plant in a wet spring[8]. The leaves are frequently sold in local markets in Java[6].

References

  1. F. Chittendon. RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 Oxford University Press 1951-00-00

    ↩1↩2↩3

  2. Tanaka. T. Tanaka's Cyclopaedia of Edible Plants of the World. Keigaku Publishing 1976-00-00

    ↩

  3. Cribb. A. B. and J. W. Wild Food in Australia. Fontana 1976-00-00 ISBN 0-00-634436-4

    ↩

  4. ? A Barefoot Doctors Manual. Running Press ISBN 0-914294-92-X

    ↩

  5. Kunkel. G. Plants for Human Consumption. Koeltz Scientific Books 1984-00-00 ISBN 3874292169

    ↩

  6. Facciola. S. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications 1990-00-00 ISBN 0-9628087-0-9

    ↩1↩2

  7. Hedrick. U. P. Sturtevant's Edible Plants of the World. Dover Publications 1972-00-00 ISBN 0-486-20459-6

    ↩

  8. Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992-00-00 ISBN 0-333-47494-5

    ↩1↩2↩3↩4↩5↩6↩7

  9. Duke. J. A. and Ayensu. E. S. Medicinal Plants of China Reference Publications, Inc. 1985-00-00 ISBN 0-917256-20-4

    ↩1↩2↩3

  10. Chopra. R. N., Nayar. S. L. and Chopra. I. C. Glossary of Indian Medicinal Plants (Including the Supplement). Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, New Delhi. 1986-00-00

    ↩1↩2↩3

  11. Manandhar. N. P. Plants and People of Nepal Timber Press. Oregon. 2002-00-00 ISBN 0-88192-527-6

    ↩1↩2↩3↩4↩5↩6↩7↩8

  12. Uphof. J. C. Th. Dictionary of Economic Plants. Weinheim 1959-00-00

    ↩

  13. Ohwi. G. Flora of Japan. (English translation) Smithsonian Institution 1965-00-00

    ↩

  14. Usher. G. A Dictionary of Plants Used by Man. Constable 1974-00-00 ISBN 0094579202

    ↩

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