Family:
ASTERACEAE
Centipeda spp.
Slender Fissure-weed
Other Names: n/a
Regional Subspecies:
refer to text
HABIT:
Aromatic annual or perennial forb to 30 cm high. Flowers are reddish, yellowish, or green. Grows mainly in summer (semi-dormant in winter).
HABITAT & SITE PREFERENCE:
Most soil types from sand to clay. Prefers damp areas, and dislikes permanently dry soil and drought. Prefers 300 to 500 mm rainfall in the Riverina region.
SEED COLLECTION & PROPAGATION:
Seed or cuttings which readily strike. Prune to encourage bushiness. Species recommended: C. crateriformis subsp. compacta (Sneezeweed), C. cunninghamii (Common sneezeweed), C. minima (Spreading sneezeweed), C. thespidioides (Desert sneezeweed) [pictured].
VALUES & USES:
Coloniser of bare ground and a ground cover for bog gardens and pond edges. Medicinal powers highly regarded by First Nations People. Used as a tonic to cure colds, chest complaints, tuberculosis and as a general tonic. Also used externally for eye and skin complaints.