Japanese name: ニトベギク（新渡戸菊） Scientific name:Tithonia diversifolia
[Overview]
A perennial 2–5 m tall.
In regions with frost it becomes an annual.
The stem is erect and well branched, and becomes woody at the base.
The leaves are alternate, ovate, more than 10 cm long, and 3–5-lobed.
Three veins stand out on the leaves, and both sides have short hairs.
The leaf margins are toothed.
The leaf stalk is 3–8 cm.
Orange-yellow flower heads 10–13 cm across are borne at the stem tips.
Each flower head has 14–20 ray florets.
The fruit is an achene.
[History]
It is said to have been introduced by Nitobe Inazo at the end of the Meiji period.
[Uses]
The leaves have a distinctive bitterness and are said to have effects such as clearing heat and detoxifying, but in Japan they are rarely used medicinally.
In Mexico, China and Taiwan they are used medicinally.
