Verbesina encelioides (Cav.)
Kingdom: Plantae
Order: Asterales
Family:Asteraceae
Genus:Verbesina
Species:V.encelioides
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Distribution: Chiefly American, naturalized in Europe, Africa to S. Asia
Saudi Arabia: Naturalized in Asir
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Habit: Annual, erect, branched, strigose-canescent, up to 1.3 m tall herb
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Leaves: opposite below, alternate above, sessile to winged-petiolate, 4-10 x 2-5 cm, ovate to lanceolate, acute or acuminate, coarsely serrate, cuneate to subcordate or auriculate and sharply and irregularly serrate at base, green and thinly strigose on the upper surface, thickly canescent-strigose on the lower surface.
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Capitula heterogamous, 2.5 - 4.5 cm across, radiate, yellow or orangish-yellow, 1 to several, in cymose panicles; peduncles up to 12 cm long. Involucre 7-12 mm long, the bracts 2-seriate, subequal, linear-lanceolate to lanceolate-ovate, strigose or hirsute, acuminate, appressed or obtuse-tipped, somewhat imbricate.
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Flower: Ray florets ligulate, pistilate, fertile, ligules 3-lobed, 10-15, c. 1-2 cm long. Disc florets 1-2 cm across, tubular, yellow, 5-8 mm long. Outer achenes blackish, 3-angled, tubercled, c. 3 mm long, hairy, awnless; inner achenes blackish, white winged, smooth, 4-6 mm long, hairy with pappus of 2, scabird, short, filiform awns.