Common name : Caesulia
Common name in Hindi : Gathila
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Diagnostic characters
Biology
Ecology and distribution
Nuisance
Weed control
Botany
Uses/Remark
References
Caesulia axillaris is an annual plant with several stems growing from the base, becoming prostrate or decumbent. The stems are not branched. The leaves are linear and with an alternate arrangement. The bases of the leaves are dilated enclosing the bluish inflorescences in compound heads.
This plant has high seed productivity. The germination takes place from July to August and the flowering and fruiting from September to November.
This species is a weed in the rice growing areas of India and Pakistan, especially in the Punjab region. This plant is found in plains and to 1000 m in marshy places.
- Cultural
Good water management in rice is most effective, also pudding and oxadiazon; hand pulling is generally not practicable.
- Chemical
Post-emergence application of 2_4-D at 500 g/ha or pre-emergence application of butachlor at 1.5 kg /ha, Anilophos at 400 g/ha, Pretilachlor at 1.0 kg/ha.
Habit
Prostrate or decumbent life form.
Roots
The plant develops abundant adventitious roots at the base of the stems.
Stem
The stem, 15 to 50cm long is unbranched, prosptrate or decumbent, hollow and glabrous.
Leaves
The leaves with an alternate arrangement are linear lanceolate and pointed, 3 to 15cm long, 5 to 10mm broad. The margin is remotely dentate; tapering at both ends, multicostate. The base is dilated subauricled enclosing the compound heads.
Inflorescence
Flowers bluish grouped in axillary sessile round heads, 5 to 15mm in diameter. Flowers hermaphrodite, tubular, limb narrowly campanulate, deeply 5-fid, bracts two, opposite, enclosing the flower, adnate to and enclosing the achene.
Fruit
Achene included in the laterally compressed bracts, without pappus. Compressed ribs prominent on sides, 2 to 3mm long, 1.5mm broad.
An herbicidal principal has been identified from this species (Srivasteva et al. 1983).
- Shahida Khalid, 1995. Weeds of Pakistan. Compositae. National Herbarium Islamabad. Pakistan.
- Srivastava J. C., Srivastava P. A. K., Srivastava R. C. and Mathur S. N. 1983. A herbicidal principal from Caesulia axillaris L. a weed of paddy fields. Experimentia, 39: 698-699.
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