Tapak liman or elephants foot (Elephantopus scaber) is a plant species in Asteraceae, stems are very short, stiff, rough haired, 30-70 cm high, big and strong taproot, grow wild, sometimes found in large numbers on grass, roadside and dike in the lowlands to altitude of 1,200 m.
E. scaber has a single leaf gathered on the soil surface to form a root rosette. Age ~1 month has 6 leaves, 8-10.5 cm long, 2.5-3.5 cm wide, spathulate, dark green, rounded tip, atternuate base, a white bone in the middle, pinnate vein, surface wavy or flat, haired and wavy or flat margins.
The flower stems come out from the middle of the rosette with a height of 30-70 cm, cylindrical, stiff and wiry, long and dense white hair, branched and grooved. Leaves on the flower stems are small, 3-9 cm long and 1-3 cm wide.
Compound flower shaped hump, sitting at the end of the stem, purple to white, has three protective leaves in the shape of a triangle cup. A single flower consists of a white tube and four crowns and are lancet shaped. Hard fruit, tubular, 1 cm long, at the end has 4-6 straight and white hair.
This plant contains elephantopin which is a germacranolide sesquiterpene lactone containing two lactone rings and an epoxide functional group. 17,19-Dihydrodeoxyelephantopin, iso-17,19- dihydro-deoxy elephantopin and 8-hydroxyl naringenin are the most important bioactive compounds responsible for anti-bacterial activity. By UPLC MS Q-TOF, 34 components were identified.
This species is widely used as an anticancer and antitumor, anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, antifungal, hepatoprotective, anticoagulant, antidiarrheal, antiviral, antidiabetic, antioxidant, antiulcer, wound healing and anti-asthma.
TAXON
Kingdom: Plantae
Phylum: Tracheophyta
Subphylum: Angiospermae
Class: Magnoliopsida
Order: Asterales
Family: Asteraceae
Subfamily: Cichorioideae
Tribe: Vernonieae
Subtribe: Elephantopinae
Genus: Elephantopus L. in Sp. Pl.: 814 (1753)
Species: Elephantopus scaber L. in Sp. Pl.: 814 (1753)
Varieties: Elephantopus scaber var. argenteus C.Jeffrey, Elephantopus scaber var. penicillatus Gagnep., Elephantopus scaber var. plurisetus O.Hoffm., Elephantopus scaber var. scaber
PUBLICATIONS
Barooah, C. & Ahmed, I. (2014). Plant diversity of Assam. A checklist of Angiosperms and Gymnosperms: 1-599. Assam science technology and environment council, India.
Karthigeyan, K., Pandey, R.P. & Mao, A.A. (eds.) (2023). Flora of Andaman and Nicobar Islands 2: 1-689. Botanical Survey of India. Ministry of environment, forest and climate change.
Kiew, R. & al. (eds.) (2021). Malayan Forest Records 49: 1-403.
Kotiya, A., Solanki, Y. & Reddy, G.V. (2020). Flora of Rajasthan: 1-769. Rajasthan state biodiversity board.
Koyama, H., Bunwong, S., Pornpongrungrueng, P. & Hind, D.J.N. (2016). Flora of Thailand 13(2): 143-428. The Forest Herbarium, Royal Forest Department.
Mao, A.A. & Dash, S.S. (2020). Flowering Plants of India an Annotated Checklist (Dicotyledons) 1: 1-970. Botanical Survey of India.
Rajbhandari, K.R., Rai, S.K. & Chhetri, R. (2024). A Handbook of the Flowering Plants of Nepal 5: 1-432. Department of Plant Resources, Thapathali, Kathmandu, Nepal.
Roskov Y. & al. (eds.) (2018). Species 2000 & ITIS Catalogue of Life Naturalis, Leiden, the Netherlands.
Sarder, N.U. & Hassan, M.A. (eds.) (2018). Vascular flora of Chittagong and the Chittagong Hill Tracts 3: 1-978. Bangladesh National Herbarium, Dhaka.
Turner, I.M. (1995). A catalogue of the Vascular Plants of Malaya. Gardens' Bulletin Singapore 47(1): 1-346.
VERNACULAR NAME
Bengali: হস্তি পাড়া Hasti pada, হস্তি পাড়া Hasti pāṛā, Hasti pod
Chinese (simplified): 地胆草
Chinese (traditional): 燈豎朽 - 地膽草
English Elephants-foot, Elephants foot, Prickly-leaved elephant's foot
Filipina: Dila-dila, Tabatabakohan, Kabkabron
Gayo: Lape-lape tanah
Hindi: गोभी Gobhi, गोभी Gobhee, समुद्रुद्री Samdudri, बान-ताम्बाखु Ban-tambakhu, अधोमुख Adhomukha
Indonesian: Tapak Liman
Japanese: イガコウゾリナ
Java: Tapak liman, Tapak tangan
Kannada: Hakkarike, Nela mucchilu, Nela mucchalike, Hastipaada, Hasti pada, Aane kaalu gida, Naayi naalige gida
Madura: Tapak tana
Maharashtra: हस्तीपात
Malayalam: Anayatiyan, Aanayadi, Aanachuvadi, Aanaccuvati, Koonjirikka, Ottaveran, Thomunji
Marathi: Hastipata, Pathari
Nepali: हस्तिपदी Hastipadi, सहस्त्र बुटी Sahastra buti, छत्रे Chhatre, मुला पाटे Mula Pate, गोमुखी Gomukhi, हालाहले Halahale
Oriya: Mayurachula, Mayur chulia, Mayur chandrika, Tutamuli, Tatmuli, Meghuchuria, Dasti gatcho, Amtuliya, Chhota-rasna
Pashto: ګوبي Gobhi
Sanskrit: Gojivha, Gojihva, Adhapata, Kharaparnini, Prastarini, Hasthi padi, Mayura shika
Santali: Mejurjhuti
Sinhala: අනාශෝවඩි Anashovadi, අනාශෝවඩි Anāśōvaḍi
Sumatera: Tutup bumi
Sunda: Balagaduk cancang
Tamil: அனஷோவதி Anashovadi, யானை-சி-சுவதி Yanai-c-cuvati
Telugu: Hasthapadi, Enugabira, Eddupattu, Manjur chendi, Hasti kalaka
Thai: โด่ไม่รู้ล้ม
Urdu: گوبھی Gobhi
Aryo Bandoro
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