Taxon:  Acmella oleracea (L.) R. K. Jansen



Summary
Genus:
Acmella
Family:
Asteraceae (alt. Compositae)
Subfamily:
Asteroideae
Tribe:
Heliantheae
Nomen number:
311860
Place of publication:
Syst. Bot. Monogr. 8:65.  1985
Verified:
10/30/1990 ARS Systematic Botanists.
Accessions:
3 (0  active, 0  available) in National Plant Germplasm System.  (Map it)
Other conspecific taxa
Autonyms (not in current use), synonyms and invalid designations
Basionym
Spilanthes oleracea L.

No images


Conservation Status

Reference(s)
  1. PROTABASE, the information base of PROTA (Plant Resources of Tropical Africa) (on-line resource).
  2. Aldén, B., S. Ryman, & M. Hjertson. 2012. Svensk Kulturväxtdatabas, SKUD (Swedish Cultivated and Utility Plants Database; online resource)
  3. American Herbal Products Association. 1992. Herbs of commerce
  4. APHIS. Agricultural Risk Management System United States Department of Agriculture.
  5. Brako, L. & J. L. Zarucchi. 1993. Catalogue of the flowering plants and gymnosperms of Peru. Monogr. Syst. Bot. Missouri Bot. Gard. 45
  6. Forzza, R. C. et al., coord. Lista de espécies da flora do Brasil (on-line resource). Note: naturalized
  7. Hanelt, P., ed. 2001. Mansfeld's encyclopedia of agricultural and horticultural crops. Volumes 1-6
  8. Hind, N. & N. Biggs. 2003. 460. Acmella oleracea Compositae. Curtis's Bot. Mag. 20:31-39.
  9. Jansen, R. K. 1985. The systematics of Acmella (Asteraceae-Heliantheae). Syst. Bot. Monogr. 8:66.
  10. Lim, T. K. 2014. Acmella olearacea. In: Lim, T. K., Edible medicinal and non-medicinal plants. Six volumes 7:163-174. Note: Springer Science+Business Media B
  11. Personal Care Products Council. International Nomenclature Cosmetic Ingredient
  12. Porcher, M. H. et al. Searchable World Wide Web Multilingual Multiscript Plant Name Database (MMPND) (on-line resource).
  13. Randall, R. P. 2007. The introduced flora of Australia and its weed status. Note: = Spilanthes oleracea L.
  14. Rodrigues, D. S. et al. 2014. Influência da adubação com nitrogênio e fósforo na produção de Jambu, Acmella oleracea (L.) R. K. Jansen. Revista Brasil. Pl. Med. 16:71-76.
Common names
LanguageNameAlternate namenoteseqCitation
EnglishBrazilian cress  1Hanelt, P., ed. 2001. Mansfeld's encyclopedia of agricultural and horticultural crops. Volumes 1-6
EnglishPara cress  1American Herbal Products Association. 1992. Herbs of commerce
Englishtoothacheplant  1American Herbal Products Association. 1992. Herbs of commerce
Frenchcresson du Brazil  2Hanelt, P., ed. 2001. Mansfeld's encyclopedia of agricultural and horticultural crops. Volumes 1-6
Frenchcresson du Para  2Hanelt, P., ed. 2001. Mansfeld's encyclopedia of agricultural and horticultural crops. Volumes 1-6
GermanParakresse  2Hanelt, P., ed. 2001. Mansfeld's encyclopedia of agricultural and horticultural crops. Volumes 1-6
Portuguesejambu  2Rodrigues, D. S. et al. 2014. Influência da adubação com nitrogênio e fósforo na produção de Jambu, Acmella oleracea (L.) R. K. Jansen. Revista Brasil. Pl. Med. 16:71-76.
Swedishparakrasse  2Aldén, B., S. Ryman, & M. Hjertson. 2012. Svensk Kulturväxtdatabas, SKUD (Swedish Cultivated and Utility Plants Database; online resource)
Distribution
order_codeStatusContinentSubcontinentCountryStateNoteReference
2CultivatedAfricaSouthern AfricaSouth Africa  Hind, N. & N. Biggs. 2003. 460. Acmella oleracea Compositae. Curtis's Bot. Mag. 20:31-39.
2CultivatedAsia-TropicalIndian SubcontinentIndia  Hind, N. & N. Biggs. 2003. 460. Acmella oleracea Compositae. Curtis's Bot. Mag. 20:31-39.
2CultivatedNorthern America United States  Hind, N. & N. Biggs. 2003. 460. Acmella oleracea Compositae. Curtis's Bot. Mag. 20:31-39.
2CultivatedSouthern AmericaBrazilBrazil only cult.Rodrigues, D. S. et al. 2014. Influência da adubação com nitrogênio e fósforo na produção de Jambu, Acmella oleracea (L.) R. K. Jansen. Revista Brasil. Pl. Med. 16:71-76.
4NaturalizedAfricaEast Tropical AfricaKenya  Hind, N. & N. Biggs. 2003. 460. Acmella oleracea Compositae. Curtis's Bot. Mag. 20:31-39.
4NaturalizedAfricaEast Tropical AfricaTanzania  Hind, N. & N. Biggs. 2003. 460. Acmella oleracea Compositae. Curtis's Bot. Mag. 20:31-39.
4NaturalizedAfricaEast Tropical AfricaUganda  Hind, N. & N. Biggs. 2003. 460. Acmella oleracea Compositae. Curtis's Bot. Mag. 20:31-39.
6Other    probable origin in South America "from Acmella alba"Hind, N. & N. Biggs. 2003. 460. Acmella oleracea Compositae. Curtis's Bot. Mag. 20:31-39.
Cultivated
Africa
  • SOUTHERN AFRICA: South Africa
Asia-Tropical
  • INDIAN SUBCONTINENT: India
Northern America
  • REGION: United States
Southern America
  • BRAZIL: Brazil (only cult.)
Naturalized
Africa
  • EAST TROPICAL AFRICA: Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda
Other (probable origin in South America "from Acmella alba")

Reference(s)
  1. Hind, N. & N. Biggs. 2003. 460. Acmella oleracea Compositae. Curtis's Bot. Mag. 20:31-39.
  2. Rodrigues, D. S. et al. 2014. Influência da adubação com nitrogênio e fósforo na produção de Jambu, Acmella oleracea (L.) R. K. Jansen. Revista Brasil. Pl. Med. 16:71-76.
Economic Uses
UsageTypeNoteReference
Environmentalornamental Hind, N. & N. Biggs. 2003. 460. Acmella oleracea Compositae. Curtis's Bot. Mag. 20:31-39.
Human foodvegetable Jansen, R. K. 1985. The systematics of Acmella (Asteraceae-Heliantheae). Syst. Bot. Monogr. 8:66.
Medicinesfolkloreas Spilanthes oleraceaMcGuffin, M., J. T. Kartesz, A. Y. Leung, & A. O. Tucker. 2000. Herbs of commerce, ed. 2 American Herbal Products Association, Silver Spring, Maryland. Note: as Spilanthes oleracea
Non-vertebrate poisonsdisease vector controlpotentialJansen, R. K. 1985. The systematics of Acmella (Asteraceae-Heliantheae). Syst. Bot. Monogr. 8:66.
Cite as: USDA, Agricultural Research Service, National Plant Germplasm System. 2026. Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN Taxonomy). National Germplasm Resources Laboratory, Beltsville, Maryland.
URL: https://npgstest.ars-grin.gov/gringlobal/taxon/taxonomydetail?id=311860. Accessed 9 May 2026.