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Carolina primrose-willow

yerba de jicotea

Habit Herbs, from woody rootstock. Herbs annual, rarely persistent a second year from woody base.
Stems

erect, subterete, 20–120 cm, branched, glabrate proximally, or strigillose, especially in distal parts, with raised strigillose lines decurrent from leaf axils mid stem.

erect, 4-angled, rarely 4-winged, sometimes basally terete, 40–280 cm, simple to densely branched, branches often ascending, glabrous.

Leaves

stipules narrowly deltate, 0.3–0.5 × 0.1–0.2 mm;

petiole winged, 0.1–0.7 cm;

blade narrowly to broadly lanceolate, 4–15 × 0.3–1(–3) cm, base tapered, margins subentire to inconspicuously glandular-serrulate, apex acute to acuminate, surfaces finely strigillose, especially on abaxial veins, sometimes glabrate;

bracts narrower, reduced in size.

stipules deltate, 0.2–0.3 × 0.15–0.2 mm;

petiole 0.2–2.2 cm, somewhat flattened and continuous with ridges or wings on stem;

blade elliptic to narrowly lanceolate, 2–20 × 0.2–4 cm, base cuneate, margins minutely scabrid, apex acute or acuminate, membranous, surfaces glabrous or sometimes minutely strigillose along abaxial veins;

bracts often reduced.

Inflorescences

open, leafy racemes, flowers solitary in axils;

bracteoles lanceolate-linear or setaceous, 2–6 × 0.3–0.8 mm, attached on pedicel just proximal to base of ovary.

leafy spikes, flowers solitary in distal axils;

bracteoles attached at base of ovary or on lower 1/2, without subtending glands, deltate, 0.3–0.5 × 0.2–0.3 mm, apex acute.

Flowers

sepals ovate-deltate, 10–20 × 7–12 mm, abruptly acuminate or acute, inconspicuously 5–7-nerved, surfaces strigillose;

petals deep golden yellow, broadly obovate, 20–35 × 10–30 mm, apex shallowly emarginate, claw 1.5–3 mm;

stamens 8 in 2 unequal series, filaments flattened and dilated near base, epipetalous set 3.4–4.5 mm, episepalous set 4.5–5.5 mm, anthers oblong, 4–5 mm;

pollen shed in polyads;

ovary subcylindric, slightly 4-angled, 8–12(–20) mm;

nectary disc slightly elevated on ovary apex, 2–3 mm diam., 4-lobed, ringed by short hairs;

style 3–3.5 mm, stigma clavate-capitate, 2.5–3 × 2–2.5 mm, often exserted beyond anthers.

sepals ovate or lanceolate, 3–6 × 1–2 mm, apex acute or short-acuminate, surfaces usually glabrous, sometimes strigillose;

petals obovate, 3.5–5 × 2–2.5 mm;

stamens 8 in 2 subequal series, filaments 1.3–1.5 mm, anthers oblong, 0.6–1 × 0.4–0.5 mm;

ovary obconic, 4-angled, 4–10 × 2–4 mm, usually glabrous, rarely strigillose;

nectary disc plane on ovary apex, 3–4 mm diam., 4-lobed, glabrate;

style 0.5–1.5 × 0.5–0.6 mm, stigma globose, 0.8–1 × 1–1.2 mm, not exserted beyond anthers and pollen shed directly on it.

Capsules

clavate-cylindric, subterete to obtusely 4-angled, 20–35 × 3.5–5 mm, thin walls, irregularly dehiscent, tapering to pedicel 10–40 mm.

oblong-linear to squarish-cylindric, 4-angled, 10–22 × 2–4 mm, thin-walled, irregularly dehiscent, subsessile.

Seeds

in several indistinct rows per locule, yellow-brown, oblong (appearing round), 0.5 mm, shiny, raphe 2/3 as wide as body.

elongate-ovoid, 0.3–0.5 × 0.2–0.3 mm, raphevery reduced and inconspicuous.

2n

= 16.

= 16.

Ludwigia bonariensis

Ludwigia erecta

Phenology Flowering summer. Flowering summer–early fall.
Habitat Wet places, mainly along coastal areas, especially ditches, banks near brackish water. Pond margins and depressions, wet sand ditches and prairies.
Elevation 0–200[–2600] m. (0–700[–8500] ft.) 0–100[–300] m. (0–300[–1000] ft.)
Distribution
from FNA
AL; FL; MS; NC; SC; TX; Mexico (Chihuahua, Durango, Puebla, Quintana Roo, Tabasco, Tamaulipas, Veracruz); South America (Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Paraguay, Uruguay)
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
AL; AZ; FL; Central America; South America; Mexico (Campeche, Chiapas, Jalisco, Michoacán, Nayarit, Oaxaca, Tabasco); West Indies; Africa (Nigeria, Tanzania); Indian Ocean Islands (Comoros Islands, Madagascar, Seychelles)
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Ludwigia erecta, which is morphologically similar to L. decurrens and often growing with it, is modally self-pollinating and is usually easy to distinguish from that species.

Although Ludwigia erecta is widely distributed in warm temperate regions in the New World and Africa, it appears to be most closely related to species restricted to South America. Its appearance in a rather remote locality in Arizona in 2006 may be attributable to transport there in mud on migrating birds.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

Source FNA vol. 10. FNA vol. 10.
Parent taxa Onagraceae > subfam. Ludwigioideae > Ludwigia > sect. Macrocarpon Onagraceae > subfam. Ludwigioideae > Ludwigia > sect. Pterocaulon
Sibling taxa
L. alata, L. alternifolia, L. arcuata, L. brevipes, L. curtissii, L. decurrens, L. erecta, L. glandulosa, L. grandiflora, L. hexapetala, L. hirtella, L. lanceolata, L. leptocarpa, L. linearis, L. linifolia, L. maritima, L. microcarpa, L. octovalvis, L. palustris, L. peploides, L. peruviana, L. pilosa, L. polycarpa, L. ravenii, L. repens, L. simpsonii, L. spathulata, L. sphaerocarpa, L. suffruticosa, L. virgata
L. alata, L. alternifolia, L. arcuata, L. bonariensis, L. brevipes, L. curtissii, L. decurrens, L. glandulosa, L. grandiflora, L. hexapetala, L. hirtella, L. lanceolata, L. leptocarpa, L. linearis, L. linifolia, L. maritima, L. microcarpa, L. octovalvis, L. palustris, L. peploides, L. peruviana, L. pilosa, L. polycarpa, L. ravenii, L. repens, L. simpsonii, L. spathulata, L. sphaerocarpa, L. suffruticosa, L. virgata
Synonyms Jussiaea bonariensis, J. neglecta, J. suffruticosa var. bonariensis Jussiaea erecta, Isnardia discolor, J. acuminata, J. acuminata var. latifolia, J. acuminata var. longifolia, J. altissima, J. declinata, J. erecta var. plumeriana, J. erecta var. sebana, J. onagra, J. plumeriana, J. ramosa, L. acuminata
Name authority (Micheli) H. Hara: J. Jap. Bot. 28: 291. (1953) (Linnaeus) H. Hara: J. Jap. Bot. 28: 292. (1953)
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