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Pluchea camphorata
Pluchea camphorata specimen
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Phylum:	Anthophyta
Class:	Eudicots
Order:	Asterales
Family:	Asteraceae
Genus:	Pluchea Cass.
Species:	camphorata
Binomial name
Pluchea camphorata (L.) DC.

Introduction

Pluchea camphorata, or Camphorweed, Camphor pluchea, or Marsh-fleabane, is a small flowering herbaceous annual plant of the Asteraceae family.

Description

Pluchea camphorata is a small herbaceous plant that stands at three feet tall with blooms that are purple-pink flowers that form small heads in rounded clusters. The leaves are alternate serrate elliptic to ovate- to lance-shaped. The leaves form on short petioles that have granular, sessile resin globules on the leaves and at the ends of the stems and branches of the plant. This plant's nutlets range from pink to tan. This plant's roots are fibrous.

Taxonomy

Pluchea camphorata is in the family Asteraceae, or Compositae, which is a very diverse clade containing approximately 23,000 species. Pluchea is the genus of several subspecies of perennial or annual that is an erect herb with erect, densely short pubescent, terete to obscurely angled, strictly to freely branched stems. Pluchea has alternate, serrate, the teeth callous-thickened, petiolate to sessile leaves. Pluchea has corymbrose, involucres hemispheric to campanulate, many-flowered, bracts imbricate heads. Pluchea has discoid, perfect, small flowers and small cylindrical, 5 ribbed nutlets. Pluchea has whitish, capillary, minutely, antrorsely barbed pappus bristles. Pluchea rosea has pink corollas, elliptic to elliptic-oblong leaves, and black nutlets. Pluchea foetida has cream corollas and pinkish nutlets. Pluchea purpurascens has pink corollas and pink to tan nutlets. The three subspecies bloom from August to October and bloom in similar habitats. There is doubt about the identity of Pluchea camphorata due to confusion among different botanists.

Distribution and Habitat

Pluchea camphorata grows mostly in the eastern United States, anywhere from Florida to Texas and as North as Michigan. Pluchea camphorata is listed as L48 N, which means it is native to the lower forty-eight states in the United States. These alluvial swamps include areas in seasonally flooded sloughs, floodplain oxbow ponds, wet clay flat-woods and clearings, ditches and impoundment shores.

Ecology

Pluchea camphorata is found in alluvial swamps, which means that the probability of this plant found in a wetland is anywhere from 67 to 99 percent likely. This plant blooms from August to October. Pluchea camphorata is listed as endangered in Maryland and Ohio. This plant is threatened by dredging and filling, water pollution, and exotic species

Uses

Traditional medicinal use of Pluchea camphorata includes applying the leaves to wounds to reduce swelling and facilitate healing. Certain cultures believe that Camphorweed stimulates tissue by moving blood to the surface. While culturally important, these claims require more research for safe use.