Tridax daisy (Tridax procumbens)

Gletang or tridax daisy (Tridax procumbens) is a plant species in Asteraceae, annual with spear roots, at first lying down then standing up to 80 cm high, branching since at the base and growing wild in many places that are dry and sunny.

T. procumbens has a tube stem, green or purplish in color and long white hair. The leaves are facing, stemmed, elongated round, 2.5-6 cm long, 2-4.5 cm wide, rough-jagged to pinched, succulent, green and hairy.

Compound flowers in terminal humps, 2x1 cm, and long stems. Bell shaped bandage. Females as 5-6 edge flowers with oval-wide tongue, 3-4 wings and white or pale yellow. The flowers of the discs have a large, dense crowding, hermaphroditus, bright yellow crown and yellow stamens.

Hard fruit has corners, 2 mm thick, dark brown or black, tight hair with 15-20 pappus that are feather-like, strong and pointy. The seeds are spread by various butterflies and winds, quickly becoming weeds but not a serious problem.

Tridax daisy grows on dry soil, lots of sun or little shade, especially on sandy and rocky soils, grass fields, dry rice fields, curb or railroad, river banks, sand dunes and abandoned lands on the coast to altitude of 1,500 m.

Kingdom: Plantae
Phylum: Tracheophyta
Subphylum: Angiospermae
Class: Magnoliopsida
Order: Asterales
Family: Asteraceae
Subfamily: Asteroideae
Tribe: Millerieae
Subtribe: Dyscritothamninae
Genus: Tridax
Species: Tridax procumbens

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