Crassocephalum picridifolium

Botanical Description

Crassocephalum picridifolium is a perennial plant with stems that can be from 30 - 120cm long. The lower stem is prostrate and forms new roots at the nodes, it then sends up erect branches, these sometimes developing a more scandent habit and clambering through other plants[ 610 Title Flora of Tropical East Africa Publication Author Beentje H.J. Website http://plants.jstor.org/search?st=396814 Publisher Royal Botanic Gardens; Kew. Year 2002 ISBN Description Available on-line, a modern flora of East Africa. ]. The plant is harvested from the wild for local use as a medicine. Crassocephalum picridifolium is widespread and whilst it is possibly declining in parts of its range due to the conversion of its natural habitat (swampy grasslands) to agricultural land it is not thought that global population decline is likely to meet the threshold for any threatened category.The plant is classified as 'Least Concern' in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species(2017)[ 338 Title IUCN Red List of Threatened Species Publication Author Website http://www.iucnredlist.org/ Publisher Year 0 ISBN Description A list of plants under threat and facing possible extinction, usually with brief details of the threats and information on habitat. ].