Acmella paniculata

(Wall. ex DC.) R. K. Jansen

Paracress, Panicled spot flower

AsteraceaeLeavesFlowersShoots

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What to Eat

Edible parts: Leaves, Shoots, Flowers

The shoots and leaves are cooked with meat and eaten; the flowers are boiled or cooked with rice. Shoots are sold in local markets.

Where to Find It

It is a tropical plant. It grows in moist and boggy ground. It can be in rice fields. In Yunnan.

Asia, Bangladesh, China, Himalayas, India, Indochina, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Nepal, Northeastern India, Philippines, SE Asia, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Thailand, Vietnam,

Countries: United Arab Emirates, Afghanistan, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, Bahrain, Brunei, Bhutan, China, Georgia, Indonesia, Israel, India, Iraq, Iran, Jordan, Japan, Kyrgyzstan, Cambodia, North Korea, South Korea, Kuwait, Kazakhstan, Laos, Lebanon, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Mongolia, Maldives, Malaysia, Nepal, Oman, Philippines, Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Syria, Thailand, Tajikistan, Timor-Leste, Turkmenistan, Turkey, Taiwan, Uzbekistan, Vietnam, Yemen

How to Identify

A shrub or small tree. It grows 5 m tall. There are prickles along the stem. The leaves are twice divided and there are 8-18 pairs of pinnae. There are up to 50 pairs of pinnules on each pinnae. The flowers are yellow. They are in large clusters at the ends of branches. The pods are flattened.

How to Grow

Plants are grown by seeds.

Medicinal Uses

The whole plant is used in the treatment of dysentery. A paste made from the plant is applied topically to snake bites. The pungent flower heads are chewed to relieve a toothache and other mouth-repated troubles. The juice of the flower heads is drunk as a remedy for stomach pains. A decoction of the leaves is used as a diuretic and lithotriptic. The leaves are used externally in the treatment of skin diseases. A root decoction is used as purgative.

Other Information

Shoots are sold in local markets.

Names & Synonyms

Akkalkara, An-ka-sa-kir, Ansache, Ansa tlang, An-sa-te, Bapchuki, Bab soki, Eripacha, Haperphang, Klunbgua, Mersha ao, Pajong nam, Rasun, Samberma, Usni sag

Acmella paniculata f. calva J. Kost.Spilanthes acmella var. (several)Spilanthes calva DC.Spilanthes grandifolia Miq.Spilanthes lobata BlancoSpilanthes paniculata Wall. ex DC.Spilanthes rugosa Blume ex DC.

References (18)

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Datar, M. N. & Upadhye, A. S., 2016, Forest foods of northern region of Western Ghats. MACS - Agharkar Research Institute, Pune. Pp 1-160. ISBN: 978-93-85735-10-3 p
Hossain, U. & Rahman, A., 2018, Study and quantitative analysis of wild vegetable floral diversity available in Barisal district, Bangladesh. Asian J. Med. Biol. Res. 2018, 4 (4), 362-371 (As Spilanthes calva)
Jadhav, R., et al, 2015, Forest Foods of Northern Western Ghats: Mode of Consumption, Nutrition and Availability. Asian Agri-History Vol. 19, No. 4: 293-317
Kar, A., & Borthakur, S. K., 2008, Wild vegetables of Karbi - Anglong district, Assam, Natural Product Radiance, Vol. 7(5), pp 448-460
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Khodram,S. D., et al, 2019, Local knowledge of edible flowers used in Mizoram. Indian Journal of Traditional Knowledge Vol 18(40 pp 715-723
Kumar, S. A., Manus, D. & Mallika, M., 2018, Impact of non-timber forest products on Forest and in Livelihood Economy of the People of Adjoining Areas of Jalpaiguri Forest Division, West Bengal, India. Int. J. of Life Sciences, 2018; 6 (2):365-385
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Lungphi, P., Wangpan, T. & Tangjang, S., 2018, Wild edible plants and their additional uses by the Tangsa community living in the Changlang district of Arunachal Pradesh, India. Pleione 12(2): 151 - 164. 2018.
Medhi, P., Sarma, A and Borthakur, S. K., 2014, Wild edible plants from the Dima Hasao district of Assam, India. Pleione 8(1): 133-148 (As Spilanthes acmella var. paniculata)
Meitei, L. R., et al, 2022, An ethnobotanical study on the wild edible plants used by forest dwellers in Yangoupokpi Lokchao Wildlife Sanctuary, Manipur, India. Ethnobotany Research and Application 23:15
Murtem, G. & Chaudhrey, P., 2016, An ethnobotanical note on wild edible plants of Upper Eastern Himalaya, India. Brazilian Journal of Biological Sciences, 2016, v. 3, no. 5, p. 63-81 (As Spilanthes paniculata)
Phangchopi, U., et al, 2015, Diversity of wild edible plants in Marat Longri Wildlife Sanctuary, Assam. Indian Journal of Natural Products and Resources Vol. 6(4), December 2015 pp. 305-313
Swapna, M. M. et al, 2011, A review on the medicinal and edible aspects of aquatic and wetland plants of India. J. Med. Plants Res. 5 (33) pp. 7163-7176 (As Spilanthes calva)
Teron, R. & Borthakur, S. K., 2016, Edible Medicines: An Exploration of Medicinal Plants in Dietary Practices of Karbi Tribal Population of Assam, Northeast India. In Mondal, N. & Sen, J.(Ed.) Nutrition and Health among tribal populations of India. p 149 (As Spilanthes calva)
World Checklist of Useful Plant Species 2020. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew