Emilia flammea Cass.: In Vitro Culture and the Production of Emiline and Other Pyrrolizidine Alkaloids

Emilia is a genus of the tribe Senecioneae in the subfamily Asteroideae, family Asteraceae (formerly Compositae) (Engler 1964). Its species are distributed throughout tropical Africa and Asia. There are about 25 known species, of which Emilia flammea Cass. (Compositae) is one. This species is native to India and China and has also been cultivated in Europe. It is grown as an annual plant because of its attractive reddish-orange flowers, and is known as the tassel flower. E. flammea was originally investigated because of its use in folk medicine in India, Burma, Indonesia, and South Africa (Watt and Breyer-Brandwijk 1962).