Saturday, October 9, 2010

Mexican daisy (Erigeron karvinskianus)

Native herb of Mexico and introduced to Sri Lanka and several other countries of Southeast Asia, Southern Europe and also India. Common weed of roadsides and tea plantations of hill country. Flowering throughout the year. White flowers change to purplish when fading. Earliest record of introducing this herb comes from Peradeniya botanical garden in 1926 and it is said that wide spread was due to deliberate introduction of it as a mat forming herb on soil of drain sides and step banks of tea estates as a prevention measure of soil erosion. .