Calyptocarpus vialis

Calyptocarpus vialis Less.

Common Names: Horse Herb, Straggler Daisy, Lawn Flower, Creeping Cinderella Weed

Family: Asteraceae

Habit: Calyptocarpus vialis is a creeping herbaceous perennial up to 50 cm in height (usually less) that roots at its nodes. The slightly pubescent leaves arranged oppositely, deltoid, to 4 cm in length with an acute leaf apex and serrate leaf margin.

There are both perfect and imperfect (carpellate) flowers in heads.  The perfect (disc) flowers are in the center and the imperfect (ray) flowers are arranged around the edge of the heads. Each flower is subtended by a green bract.  The heads are arranged in spikes/panicles.  The calyx that has been reduced to 2, 3 or 4 spikes (pappus).

The incomplete, imperfect, zygomorphic (ray) flowers have fused, yellow, petals (bilobed apex) and no stamens. The complete, perfect, actinomorphic (disc) flowers have a corolla with 5 fused, yellow petals.  There are 5 stamens fused at their base. In both types of flowers, the ovary is inferior with a single locule but only the imperfect flowers have functional ovules.  The fruit is a ridged achene at maturity.

Habitat: Calyptocarpus vialis grows in Human Altered environments (yards, lawns, gardens, abandoned fields).

Distribution: Calyptocarpus vialis occurs in the central and northern island groupings of the Lucayan Archipelago.

Medicinal/Cultural/Economic usage: Calyptocarpus vialis is not known to be used medicinally in the Lucayan Archipelago.