Dayflowers are eaten by humans and animals in countries such as Pakistan, India and Nepal. It is also used medicinally in China as a diuretic and in Pakistan as a laxative, to cure skin complaints and treat leprosy.��In the late 18th and early 19th centuries the East India Company controlled much of the Indian subcontinent. Keen to exploit and export valuable natural commodities, the Company set out to record the flora of India and commissioned Indian artists to create detailed botanical illustrations. Many of the plants were known through their use in Ayurvedic medicine. One of the world’s oldest medicinal systems, it has been practised in India for 3,000 years.Drawings of Indian plants and trees later named at the Royal Botanical Gardens Kew