Vernonanthura patens

Vernonanthura patens, formerly known as Vernonia patens, is a shrub or small tree in the Asteraceae family, native to the Neotropics from southern Mexico through Central America and into northern South America, including Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Venezuela. It typically grows 2-6 metres tall, with spreading branches and a rounded crown. The young stems and undersides of leaves are densely covered in soft whitish to greyish tomentose hairs. The leaves are alternate, elliptic to lanceolate, 8-20 cm long, with finely toothed margins, an acuminate tip, and a tomentose lower surface contrasting with the darker green upper surface. The inflorescence is a large, much-branched terminal panicle bearing numerous small heads, each composed of 4-10 lavender, pink, or white tubular disc florets surrounded by overlapping phyllaries. The achenes bear a double pappus of bristles. It inhabits secondary forests, pastures, roadsides, and forest edges in tropical lowland and premontane regions.