Spreading sneezeweed is a prostrate hairless herb belonging to Asteraceae Bercht. & J. Presl (Aster family) and in the genus Centipeda Lour. (Centipede). The plant is native from Africa through Afghanistan and India to China and Japan, and southwards through South-East Asia to Australia and the Pacific Islands. Some of the popular common names of the plants Sneeize-wort, Small Centipeda, Centipeda Herb, Sneezeweed, Sneezewort, Spreading Sneezeweed, Kundush and Herba Centipedae. It is found in wet places and the rice fields of most Asian countries. The plant is widely used in traditional medicine. The leaves and roots of the plant are used to treat various diseases. It is harvested from the wild for mainly local medicinal use. It is widely used for antibacterial, antioxidant, anti-angiogenic, and anticancer activities. It contains secondary metabolites such as lactones, sesquiterpenes, and triterpenes.

Spreading Sneezeweed Facts

Spreading sneezeweed Quick Facts
Name:	Spreading sneezeweed
Scientific Name:	Centipeda minima
Origin	Africa through Afghanistan and India to China and Japan, and southwards through South-East Asia to Australia and the Pacific Islands
Colors	Initially green turning to brown as they mature
Shapes	Oblong and curved achene 1 mm long tipped with the persistent style
Taste	Sweet, Acrid, Pungent
Health benefits	Malaria, hepatitis, diabetes mellitus, eczema, insect or snake bites, opium poisoning, whooping cough, gallstones, hypertrophic rhinitis, chronic bronchitis, conjunctivitis, vaginitis, pelvic inflammatory disease, chronic pelvic inflammatory disease, fungal vaginitis, eczema, soft tissue injury, rheumatic arthralgia, peripheral facial nerve palsy, and hookworm cercariae infection

Name	Spreading sneezeweed
Scientific Name	Centipeda minima
Native	From Africa through Afghanistan and India to China and Japan, and southwards through South-East Asia to Australia and the Pacific Islands
Common Names	Sneeize-wort, Small Centipeda, Centipeda Herb, Sneezeweed, Sneezewort, Spreading Sneezeweed, Kundush, Herba Centipedae
Name in Other Languages	Arabic: Kundush Assamese: Hachuti, Hansia bon, Hansia-bon Bodo: Hansio bighang Chinese: E Bu Shi Cao (鹅不食草), shí hú suī shǔ (石胡荽属), Shi hu sui (石胡荽), Qui zi cao, Tǔ jīn cǎo (吐金草), De hújiāo (地胡椒) English: Spreading sneezeweed, Sneezeweed, Sneezewort French: D’s aigrettes German: Kleine Centipede Gujarati: Chhikani, Nakshikani Hindi: Kundush, Nakchikni, Newari, Nakchhikni (नाकछिकनी), Pochitti, Nagdowana Indonesian: Mbakoan Japanese: Tokinsou (トキンソウ), hanahirigusa (ハナヒリグサ), tanehirigusa (タネヒリグサ), tokinsô Kannada: Chikani (ಛಿಕನೀ) Korean: Jung dae ga ri pul (중대가리풀) Marathi: Naakashikani (नाकशिकनी), Shikani Nepali: Chhinke Jhaar (छिन्के झार), Chhiuke Jhaar (छिऊँके झार) , Hachhiu Jhaar (हाच्छिउँ झार), Naak Chhikaani (नाक छिकानी ) Oriya: Nakchika Persian: Bekhe Gazran Philippines: Harangan, pisik Russian: Stonozhka malaya (стоножка малая), stonozhka okruglaya (стоножка округлая) Sanskrit: Chhikka (छिक्का), Chhikkani (छिक्कनि), Kshavakrita (क्षवक्रिता), Chikkana, Kshavaka, Chhikka, tikshna, ghrandukhahda, chhikkani, kashvakrit, mecheta Sinhalese: Vishadhuli (විශධූලි ), Heen kimbu (හීන් කිඹු), Visha Chunniya (විශ චූන්ණිය ) Tamil: Tittarokani, Tummarpuntu, Marukolunthu, Tittarokani Thai: Krataai chan, yaa krachaam, mueat lot Tibetan: Kas ba ka (ཀས་བ་ཀ) Urdu: Nakchhikni ناک چھکنی Vietnam: C[us]c m[awr]n, c[os]c m[awr]n, c[or] the
Plant Growth Habit	Small, erect, prostrate or ascending, slender, low growing leafy herb, somewhat woolly or nearly smooth
Growing Climates	Waste ground, roadsides, fallow rice fields, in wet places, marshy banks, humid open locations, on thinly grassed patches, on banks of permanent waterholes, muddy banks of rivers and sometimes found submerged in shallow water
Plant Size	8-20(-30) cm tall
Stem	Filiform, ribbed, internodes 2-10 mm long, 1 mm large, sparsely to densely covered with fine white, cobwebby hairs
Leaf	Alternate, simple, narrowly spatulate, about 5-20 mm long and 1-7 mm wide, base attenuate, apex obtuse and mucronulate, sometimes 3-lobed at the apex and entire at the lower part, margins pinnatilobed or dentate (lobes or teeth mucronulate), sparsely pilose on both sides; petiole absent; stipules absent
Flowering season	September to February
Flower	Flowers all tubular, marginal flowers numerous. Florets are of 2-types. Female florets in outer few rows; flower minute, tubular, shortly 4-toothed, yellow. Bisexual florets are inner, few; floret bell-shaped, 0.6 mm long, 4-lobed, yellow; stamens 4, anthers entire at base
Fruit Shape & Size	Oblong and curved achene 1 mm long tipped with the persistent style, and bristly on the angles
Fruit Color	Initially green turning to brown as they mature
Taste	Sweet, Acrid, Pungent
Plant Parts Used	Whole Plant

Plant Description

Spreading sneezeweed is a small, erect, prostrate or ascending, slender, low growing leafy herb, somewhat woolly or nearly smooth with numerous branches spreading from the root, and 8 to 20 centimeters long, sometimes to 30 cm. Its duration is annual which means it grows for one season only. Centipeda Minima or Spreading Sneezeweed’s floral region is North America US Lower 48, specifically in the states of Massachusetts and Pennsylvania. The plant is found growing in waste ground, roadsides, fallow rice fields, in wet places, marshy banks, humid open locations, on thinly grassed patches, on banks of permanent waterholes, muddy banks of rivers and sometimes found submerged in shallow water. Stems are filiform, ribbed, internodes 2-10 mm long, 1 mm large, sparsely to densely covered with fine white, cobwebby hairs.

Leaves

Leaves are alternate, simple, oblong-obovate to oblanceolate, narrowly spatulate, about 5-20 mm long and 1-7 mm wide, base attenuate, apex obtuse and mucronulate, sometimes 3-lobed at the apex and entire at the lower part, margins pinnatilobed or dentate (lobes or teeth mucronulate), sparsely pilose on both sides; petiole absent; stipules absent.

Flowers

Inflorescence an axillary head, 2-4 mm in diameter, opposed to a leaf; peduncle absent, involucral bracts 2-seriate, oblong, about 1 mm long, margins membranous, sub-dentate, with long, cotton-like hairs, apex rounded. Flowers all tubular, marginal flowers numerous. Florets are of 2-types. Female florets in outer few rows; flower minute, tubular, shortly 4-toothed, yellow. Bisexual florets are inner, few; floret bell-shaped, 0.6 mm long, 4-lobed, yellow; stamens 4, anthers entire at base. Flowers borne singly in the axils of the leaves. Flowering normally takes place in between September to February.

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Spreading sneezeweed Image Gallery

Fruits

Fertile flowers are followed by oblong and curved achene 1 mm long tipped with the persistent style, and bristly on the angles. They are obovate, 4-angled, fringed with hairs, brown; pappus absent.