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Carphephorus odoratissimus

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Carphephorus odoratissimus
Illustration by Henry Cranke Andrews

Secure  (NatureServe)[1]
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Asterids
Order: Asterales
Family: Asteraceae
Genus: Carphephorus
Species:
C. odoratissimus
Binomial name
Carphephorus odoratissimus
Synonyms[2]
  • Chrysocoma odoratissima J.F.Gmel.
  • Carphephorus subtropicanus DeLaney, N.Bissett & Weidenh., syn of var. subtropicanus

Carphephorus odoratissimus (syn. Trilisa odoratissima), common name vanillaleaf,[3] is a species of North American plants in the family Asteraceae. This species is native to the southeastern United States, including the states of Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, and Florida.[4][5]

Carphephorus odoratissimus is a herbaceous perennial up to 180 cm (6 feet) in height, and is largely glabrous. It produces a flat-topped inflorescence with many small purplish flower heads containing disc florets but no ray florets.[3]

Varieties[2][3]

Ecology

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Habitat

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C. odoratissimus primarily grows on sandy and well-drained loamy soils.[6] It can be found in oak-pine woodlands on Ultisols, located on sand ridges within flatwoods,[7] in moist areas, within burned upland longleaf pine-wiregrass communities,[8] and in pine-saw palmetto woodlands.[6]

Uses

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Carphephorus odoratissimus var. odoratissimus was given the common name vanillaleaf in reference to the vanilla-like odor that emanates from its foliage, which is due to the high (1.6%) content of coumarin as its major aromatic constituent. As a result, this variety has a history of use in cosmetics, herbal medicine, and as an additive to smoking tobacco.[9] The leaves can be used to make a tonic for treating malaria.[10]

References

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  1. ^ a b "Carphephorus odoratissimus (Vanilla-leaf)". NatureServe Explorer. Retrieved 24 May 2025.
  2. ^ a b The Plant List, Carphephorus odoratissimus (J.F. Gmel.) H.J.-C. Hebert
  3. ^ a b c "Carphephorus odoratissimus in Flora of North America @ efloras.org". www.efloras.org. Retrieved 2023-12-18.
  4. ^ Biota of North America Program 2014 county distribution map
  5. ^ Henry J.-C. Hebert. 1968. Generic considerations concerning Carphephorus and Trilisa (Compositae). Rhodora 70:474-485
  6. ^ a b Florida State University Robert K. Godfrey Herbarium database. URL: http://herbarium.bio.fsu.edu. Last accessed: June 2014. Collectors: L. C. Anderson, E. L. Bridges, E. H. Butts, A. F. Clewell, R. K. Godfrey, R. D. Houk, R. Komarek, R. Kral, R. L. Lazor, J. Morrill, R. A. Norris, S. L. Orzell, J. D. Ray Jr., P. L. Redfearn Jr., V. I. Sullivan and R. White. States and Counties: Florida: Bay, Duval, Escambia, Franklin, Gadsden, Gulf, Holmes, Jefferson, Lafayette, Leon, Liberty, Madison, Nassau, Okaloosa, Pasco, Polk, Putnam, Santa Rosa, Taylor, Wakulla, and Walton. Georgia: Grady and Thomas.
  7. ^ Carrington, M. E. and J. J. Mullahey (2013). "Saw palmetto (Serenoa repens) flowering and fruiting response to time since fire." Rangeland Ecology & Management 66: 43-50.
  8. ^ Kirkman, L. K., M. B. Drew, et al. (1998). "Effects of experimental fire regimes on the population dynamics of Schwalbea americana L." Plant Ecology 137: 115-137.
  9. ^ Khan, Ikhlas A.; Ehab, Abourashed A. (2010). Leung's Encyclopedia of Common Natural Ingredients Used in Food, Drugs, and Cosmetics (PDF). Hoboken, NJ USA: John Wiley & Sons. pp. 240–242. ISBN 978-9881607416. Retrieved 21 September 2020.
  10. ^ Korchmal, Arnold & Connie. 1973. A Guide to the Medicinal Plants of the United States. The New York Times Book Company, New York.
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