False daisy
Eclipta prostata
Asteraceae
Medicinal. The leaves contain nicotine which acts as an insecticide.
False daisy is an erect or decumbent (spreading) annual or perennial herb that has a variable growth habit. The leaves are narrow-ovate to elliptic, size is variable (3–10 cm long, 5–15 mm wide). The small white flowers are 6–8 mm in diameter.Each plant can produce up to 14 000 seeds. Plants are able to root at the node, enabling the plant to spread considerably. False daisy is reported to be adaptable and can be found growing in a range of situations. They can be found growing in poorly drained soils, wet areas along streams and marshes, part-shade, full sun, saline conditions, tolerant of highly polluted places and up to 2000 m above sea level. Plants tolerate of range of soil types and pH levels. They do have a preference for moist soil conditions.
Reported hosts include: Rice sheath blight (Rhizoctonia solani), Sclerotinia blight of groundnut (Sclerotinia minor), Dry root rot of chickpea (Macrophomina phaseolina), Tobacco necrosis satellivirus, Amsacta moorei, Girdle beetle (Oberea brevis), Root-knot nematodes (Meloidogyne incognita, M. graminicola), Ring nematode (Criconemella onoenis), Rice root nematode (Hirschmanniella oryzae), Corn cyst nematode (Heterodera zeae), Black bean aphid (Aphis fabae), Cotton aphid (Aphis gossypii), Brown ambrosia aphid (Uroleucon ambrosiae), Pseudodendrothrips sp. False daisy is known to attract small butterflies, bees, wasps, and flies. At the Archbold Biological Station, Plasterer bees (Hylaeus confluens), Sweat bees (Halictus poeyi, Lasioglossum placidensis, L. puteulanum and L. tamiamensis), Thread waisted wasps (Cerceris tolteca and Ectemnius rufipes ais), and wasps (Parancistrocerus perennis anacardivora, P. salcularis rufulus and Stenodynerus fundatiformis) have been observed on False daisy.