Wedelia is a genus of flowering plants in the family Asteraceae (the daisy family), commonly known as "creeping-oxeyes." The genus was described by Jacquin and is named in honour of Georg Wolfgang Wedel (1645–1721), a German botanist and physician.
The genus has had a complex and much-debated circumscription. Over the course of taxonomic revisions, a large number of species previously assigned to Wedelia have been redistributed to related genera, including Sphagneticola, Aspilia, Zexmenia, Verbesina, Melanthera, Eclipta, Wollastonia, Lasianthaea, Melampodium, and others. As a result, the contemporary circumscription of Wedelia is considerably narrower than historical treatments. The phylogenetic relationships of the remaining species are not fully resolved, and the genus's affinities within the tribe Heliantheae remain under study.
Members of Wedelia are herbaceous or shrubby plants with yellow, daisy-like flower heads typical of the Asteraceae family. The genus is most diverse in tropical and subtropical regions.
Etymology
The genus name Wedelia honours Georg Wolfgang Wedel (1645–1721), a German botanist and physician. The name was bestowed by Jacquin in recognition of Wedel's contributions to botanical and medical science.
Taxonomy Notes
The circumscription of Wedelia is taxonomically complex and historically unstable. Numerous species once placed in the genus have been transferred to other genera, including Angelphytum, Aspilia, Baltimora, Blainvillea, Eclipta, Elaphandra, Guizotia, Heliopsis, Lasianthaea, Melampodium, Melanthera, Sphagneticola, Synedrella, Verbesina, Viguiera, Wollastonia, and Zexmenia, among others. The affinities of the remaining Wedelia species are uncertain and further phylogenetic study is needed to clarify the genus's boundaries.
