Australian Tropical Rainforest Plants - Online edition

Spermacoce ocymifolia Willd.


Weed
Herb (herbaceous or woody, under 1 m tall)
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Flowers. © CSIRO
Flowers. © CSIRO
Family

Willdenow, C.L. in Roemer, J.J. & Schultes, J.A. (1818) Systema Vegetabilium 3: 530. Type: West Indies, Rudolphi s.n.

Stem

Spreading to erect annual herb up to 100 cm tall. Stems with 4 obscure longitudinal ribs and becoming more rounded with age.

Leaves

Stipules with 5-11 unequal erect or spreading awns on each side, 2-8 mm long. Leaf blades 2-8cm long, 0.6-3 cm broad, narrowly elliptic, narrowly elliptic-oblong.

Flowers

Inflorescence axillary, capitala 6-14 mm wide. Calyx lobes 0.3-0.5 mm long, acute; corolla white, tube 1.3-2.5 mm long, lobes 3-4, 1-2 mm long, oblong-lanceolate; stamens 3-4.

Fruit

Fruit 2.5-4 mm long, glabrous towards base and thin erect hairs near apex; splitting in to two mericarps; seeds 2-3 mm long, narrowly oblong, smooth or with obscure transverse depressions and minutely pitted surface, dark reddish brown.

Seedlings

Features not available.

Distribution and Ecology

An introduced species originally from Central America which now occurs in NEQ. Altitudinal range from near sea level to 930 m. Grows in disturbed areas and along roads and streams in rain forest and closed forest. Also occurs in tropical America, New Guinea and Malesia.

RFK Code
4311
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