Conyza volkensii O. Hoffm. ASTERACEAE Rainer W. Bussmann, Narel Y. Paniagua-Zambrana, and Grace N. Njoroge Synonyms Conyza volkensii O. Hoffm.: Conyza steudelii Sch. Bip. ex A. Rich. Local Names Conyza volkensii: Kikuyu: Muturia-Thoongo (Beentje 1994; Gachati 1989). Botany and Ecology Conyza volkensii O. Hoffm.: Annual or biennial herb, becoming woody at base, 0.3–2 m high, stems erect or scandent, branched, green, cylindrical or angular,  pubescent and glandular. Florets whitish, cream or pale yellow, the marginal florets many R. W. Bussmann (*) Department of Ethnobotany, Institute of Botany and Bakuriani Alpine Botanical Garden, Ilia State University, Tbilisi, Georgia Saving Knowledge, La Paz, Bolivia e-mail: rainer.bussmann@iliauni.edu.ge N. Y. Paniagua-Zambrana Department of Ethnobotany, Institute of Botany and Bakuriani Alpine Botanical Garden, Ilia State University, Tbilisi, Georgia Saving Knowledge, La Paz, Bolivia Herbario Nacionál de Bolivia, Universidad Mayor de San Andrés, La Paz, Bolivia G. N. Njoroge Department of Botany, Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology, Nairobi, Kenya © Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2021 R. W. Bussmann (ed.), Ethnobotany of the Mountain Regions of Africa, Ethnobotany of Mountain Regions, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-38386-2_49 337 338 R. W. Bussmann et al. Fig. 1 Conyza cf. volkensii (Asteraceae), Bale Mountains National Park, Odo Bulu forest. (Photo R.W. Bussmann) (>100), the tube 0.7–1.5 mm long, minutely toothed at apex, style 2.6–3.3 mm long, central florets 6–9, tube 2.1–2.7 mm long, lobes 0.5–0.8 mm long, glabrous or puberulous, anthers 1–1.4 mm long with narrowly triangular appendages, style 2.6–3.2 mm long, with flattened triangular and papillose branches 0.7–0.8 mm long. Achenes obovoid, compressed or some of the central ones cylindrical and angled, 0.8– 1 mm long, 3–4-ribbed, glabrous or sparsely pubescent, pappus of many whitish to pale brown setae 3–4.5 mm long, inserted on a ring. Leaves pale green, (at least the proximal) spatulate with an ovate expanded part, the more distal ones less spatulate, 1.5–14 cm long, 0.5–6 cm wide, at the base with a winged pseudopetiole with the very base semi-amplexicaul to auriculate, the two auricles together 0.5–1.5 cm wide, the margins dentate, the apex acute, sparsely to densely hispidulous to pubesent, sometimes sparsely glandular and aromatic. Capitula 3–7 mm long, up to 15 together to form subglobose cymes, several cymes together forming the terminal leafy panicles or corymbs, stalks of individual capitula 2–6 mm long, pubescent and glandular, phyllaries about 30, 3–4-seriate, green tipped with yellow or red, lanceolate, the outermost smallest, 2–5 mm long, 0.5–1 mm wide, margins scarious and pale, apex acute, pubescent to glabrescent, receptacle toroid, with some small teeth around the areoles (Beentje 2000, 2002; Beentje and Jeffrey 2005). Often found in Afromontane forests (Bytebier and Bussmann 2000). While very common, Conyza volkensii and other species of the genus have very limited value for the local population and are thus an excellent example of the fact that the flora of African Mountain Regions is much less used than the plant resources of similar areas worldwide (Figs. 1 and 2). Conyza volkensii O. Hoffm. 339 Fig. 2 Conyza sumatrensis (Asteraceae), Bale Mountains National Park, Odo Bulu forest. (Photo R.W. Bussmann) Local Medicinal Uses Conyza pyrifolia is chewed for toothache, and Conyza sumatrensis is applied for back pains, diarrhea, dysentery, pimples, postpartum pains, stomachache, and toothache (Njoroge et al. 2004; Tabuti 2008). The species is also used to treat a variety of sexually transmitted diseases and back pain in women (Njoroge and Bussmann 2009) and to treat pimples (Njoroge and Bussmann 2007). Conyza canadensis sometimes serves as stimulant, astringent, diuretic, aphrodisiac, and homeostatic (Ahmad Jan et al. 2019; Muhammad et al. 2019). Conyza subscaposa serves for treating obesity, breast cancer, and tonsillitis in parts of Kenya (Jeruto et al. 2008). Conyza bonariensis to treat diarrhea in children (Bekalo et al. 2009; Giday et al. 2009) and is applied externally for skin problems (Ali et al. 2019). Local Handicraft and Other Uses Conyza pyrrhopappa is planted as an ornamental (Mekonnen et al. 2015). 340 R. W. Bussmann et al. 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