Little ironweed (Cyanthillium cinereum)

Maryuna or little ironweed (Cyanthillium cinereum) is a plant species in the Asteraceae, herbaceous perennial rarely branched, stems upright, up to 30 cm tall, slender, ribbed linear, smooth and glandular pilose, dark green and white speckled.

C. cinereum has leaves arranged alternately, the leaves on the lower stem are more periole, while those on the upper stem are smaller and sessile, oval or widest around or above the middle and tapering to each end, finely serrated, dense or less hairy.

Flowers far outnumber involucres, growing in panicles around a long, branching stalk and each branch having a flower at the end. The flowers are bright purple or pink or white, more than 25 flowers per plant, 6-7 mm long, 2.5 mm in diameter, open and loose corymbs.

The pappus has temporary hair, dentate, 3-5 mm long. Phyllaries are very sharp. Involucre 4-seriate, 4-5 mm long, pubescent bract, often purple, narrow pellucid rim and lanceolate.

The fruits are slightly oblong with 4-5 ribs, but not conspicuously angled, white hair, 1.5-2 mm long, inner pappus hairs 4-5 mm long and very short on the outside.

Little ironweed grows wild in forests, farmland, roadsides and neglected places. Often used as a fever reliever, sweating, alternative, diuretic, antispasmodic, alexipharmic and antihelmintic.

Kingdom: Plantae
Phylum: Tracheophyta
Subphylum: Angiospermae
Class: Magnoliopsida
Order: Asterales
Family: Asteraceae
Subfamily: Cichorioideae
Tribe: Vernonieae
Subtribe: Erlangeinae
Genus: Cyanthillium
Species: Cyanthillium cinereum
Varieties: Cyanthillium cinereum var. cinereum, Cyanthillium cinereum var. parviflora

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