Blumea is a genus of flowering plants of the family Asteraceae.
Characteristics Genus Blumea is found in the tropical and sub-tropical zones of Asia, especially the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia. A few species are found in Australia and still fewer in Africa.Flora of China Vol. 20-21 Page 829 艾纳香属 ai na xiang shu Blumea Candolle, Arch. Bot. (Paris). 2: 514. 1833.
The plants of this genus are mostly relatively small weeds.Oudhia, P., S. S. Kolhe, and R. S. Tripathi. "Allelopathic effect of Blumea lacera L. on rice and common kharif weeds." Oryza 35.2 (1998): 175-177. Some of them are ruderal species.
A few of the species were formerly included in genus Conyza.
Many species of genus Blumea are used in traditional Chinese medicine. Other uses include as decorative dry plants.
Blumea balsamifera (Nat; หนาด) is reputed to ward off spirits in Thai folklore, and is used in Philippines herbal medicine as well.
Blumea axillaris (syn. Blumea mollis) leaf essential oil contains linalool ( 19%), γ-elemene (c. 12%), copaene (c. 11%), estragole (c.11%), allo-ocimene (c. 10%), γ-terpinene (8%) and allo-aromadendrene (c. 7%). The essential oil had significant toxic effect against early fourth-instar larvae of Culex quinquefasciatus with LC50 = 71.71 and LC90 = 143.41 ppm.Senthilkumar A, Kannathasan K, Venkatesalu V.,"Chemical constituents and larvicidal property of the essential oil of Blumea mollis (D. Don) Merr. against Culex quinquefasciatus." Parasitol Res. 2008 Sep;103(4):959-62
Other uses of the name Blumea is also the name of the Journal of Plant Taxonomy and Plant Geography published by the National Herbarium of the Netherlands.Blumea - Journal of Plant Taxonomy and Plant Geography, National Herbarium of the Netherlands
Species , Plants of the World Online accepted the following species:
Blumea adamsii Blumea adenophora Franch. Blumea afra (DC.) O.Hoffm. Blumea angustifolia Thwaites Blumea arfakiana Martelli Blumea arnakidophora Mattf. Blumea aromatica DC. Blumea atropurpurea Blumea axillaris (Lam.) DC. Blumea balfourii Hemsl. Blumea balsamifera (L.) DC. Blumea barbata DC. Blumea belangeriana DC. Blumea benthamiana Domin Blumea bicolor Merr. Blumea bifoliata (L.) DC. Blumea borneensis S.Moore Blumea bovei (DC.) Vatke Blumea braunii (Vatke) J.-P.Lebrun & Stork Blumea bullata J.Kost. Blumea canalensis S.Moore Blumea celebica Boerl. Blumea chishangensis Blumea confertiflora Merr. Blumea conspicua Hayata Blumea crinita Arn. Blumea densiflora DC. Blumea diffusa R.Br. ex Benth. Blumea eriantha DC. Blumea fistulosa (Roxb.) Kurz Blumea flava DC. Blumea formosana Kitam. Blumea hamiltonii DC. Blumea heudelotii Blumea hieraciifolia (Spreng.) DC. - hawkweed leaf blumea Blumea hirsuta (Less.) M.R.Almeida Blumea hossei Craib ex Hosseus Blumea hsinbaiyangensis Blumea htamanthii Blumea humilis Blumea incisa Merr. Blumea integrifolia DC. Blumea intermedia J.Kost. Blumea junghuhniana (Miq.) Boerl. Blumea lacera (Burm.f.) DC. - Malay blumea Blumea laevis (Lour.) Merr. Blumea lanceolaria (Roxb.) Druce Blumea lanceolata Warb. Blumea linearis C.I Peng & W.P.Leu Blumea longipes Merr. Blumea luoshaoensis Blumea lutea Blumea macrostachya DC. Blumea malcolmii Hook.f. Blumea manilaliana Blumea manillensis DC. Blumea martiniana Vaniot Blumea megacephala (Randeria) C.T.Chang & C.H.Yu Blumea membranacea Blumea milnei Seem. Blumea mindanaensis Merr. Blumea moluccana Boerl. Blumea napifolia DC. Blumea obliqua (L.) Druce Blumea oblongifolia Kitam. Blumea obovata DC. Blumea oxyodonta DC. – spiny leaved blumea Blumea papuana S.Moore Blumea psammophila Dunlop Blumea pungens W.Fitzg. Blumea ramosii Merr. Blumea repanda (Roxb.) Hand.-Mazz. Blumea riparia DC. Blumea sagittata Gagnep. Blumea saussureoides C.C.Chang & Y.Q.Tseng ex Y.Ling & Y.Q.Tseng Blumea saxatilis Zoll. & Moritzi Blumea scabrifolia Ridl. Blumea sericea (Thomson) Anderb. & A.K.Pandey Blumea sessiliflora Decne. Blumea sikkimensis Hook.f. Blumea sinuata (Lour.) Merr. Blumea stenophylla Merr. Blumea stricta Blumea subalpina Lauterb. Blumea sumbavensis Boerl. Blumea sylvatica (Blume) DC. Blumea tenella DC. Blumea tenuifolia C.Y.Wu Blumea ternatensis Boerl. Blumea timorensis DC. ex Decne. Blumea vanoverberghii Merr. Blumea venkataramanii R.S.Rao & Hemadri Blumea veronicifolia Franch. Blumea vestita Kitam. Blumea viminea DC. Blumea virens DC. Blumea zeylanica Grierson
Bibliography John Lindley & Thomas Moore, The treasury of botany
References
External links
Flowers of India - Blumea paniculata Herbal medicine - Blumea densiflora