redflower ragleaf
Crassocephalum crepidioides
Also known as the 'fireweed' in some regions, it is one of the first plants to emerge and reclaim the soil after a forest fire.
- Scientific name
- Crassocephalum crepidioides
- Taxonomy
- Plantae › Tracheophyta › Magnoliopsida › Asterales › Asteraceae › Crassocephalum
- IUCN Red List status
- Least Concern
- Population trend
- increasing
- Biome
- forest
- Habitat
- Forest margins, clearings, agricultural fields, and disturbed soils.
- Diet
- Autotrophic (photosynthesis)
- Range
- Tropical Africa, Southeast Asia, East Asia, Pacific Islands, Northern Australia
- Size
- 0.4 to 1.2 meters tall
- Lifespan
- Annual (less than 1 year)
- Active
- diurnal
- Threats
- Weed management programs and intensive herbicides, though its populations remain highly secure.
- Safe to approach?
- Harmless to touch. While used as a leafy vegetable in some cultures, it contains pyrrolizidine alkaloids which are toxic to the liver in high cumulative doses. Avoid ingestion unless prepared by an expert.
Crassocephalum crepidioides , also called ebolo , thickhead , redflower ragleaf , or fireweed , is an erect annual slightly succulent herb growing up to 180 cm tall. Its use is widespread in many tropical and subtropical regions, but is especially prominent in tropical Africa. Its fleshy, mucilaginous leaves and stems are eaten as a vegetable, and many parts of the plant have medical uses. However, the safety of internal use needs further research due to the presence of plant toxins....
Photo: 葉子, CC0, via iNaturalist
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