• Worldwide distribution. In Australia, Fiji, French Polynesia, Samoa.
• Aggressive, invasive weed of annual crops (maize, soybean, rice), plantations (sugarcane, rubber, tea), orchards, riverbanks, roadsides. A weed of cassava and taro in Pacific islands.
• Stems, erect or spreading, up to 1m, square, narrowly 'winged', woody at base, sometimes rooting. Leaves, broad, hairy, oval, leaf stalks absent or short; stipules with bristles. Flowers, in leaf axils and terminal, white, blue or mauve petals fused to form 5mm long tube. Fruit covered in white hairs. Seeds smooth with cavity. Long flowering time.
• Spread: seed contaminant of grain, livestock feed, plant nursery materials.
• Biosecurity: regulate imports of seeds, feeds and plant introductions. 
• Biocontrol: none.
• Cultural control: hand-weed; cultivate to reduce surface seed germination.
• Chemical control: (soybean) - glyphosate + 2,4-D; glyphosate + 2,4-D + diclosulam, followed by glufosinate; imazethapyr. (oil palm and rubber) - glyphosate + picloram; glyphosphate + terbuthylazine; glufosinate, metsulfuron; (maize) - terbuthylazine.

Winged false buttonweed. It is also known as the broad-leafed buttonweed, broadleaf buttonweed. Note, this name is also given to Spermacocoe alata, e.g., by USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service.

Spermacoce latifolia; previously, it was known as Borreria latifolia. Note, The Royal Botanic Gardens Kew lists this species separately from Spermococe alata. According to RBG, Spermococe latifolia has spread widely from South and Central America, including to the Pacific, whereas Spermococe alata is a weed of South America alone. Some online websites suggest these two species are the same. It is a member of the Rubiaceae.