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Carolina primrose-willow

large-flower primrose-willow, Uruguayan primrose-willow

Habit Herbs, from woody rootstock. Herbs, subshrubs, or emergent aquatics, rooting at lower nodes, sometimes woody at base, white pneumatophores 8–10 cm often on submerged stems.
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 or ascending to creeping or floating, terete or sometimes angled distally, 20–300(–450) cm, usually densely branched, sometimes simple, glabrous if floating, or densely villous and viscid throughout, or rarely just on inflorescence.

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 (rarely in clusters of 3), ovate-deltate, 0.6–2 × 0.6–1.5 mm, fleshy, apex subacute, often mucronate;

petiole 0.1–1.1 cm;

blade usually lanceolate to (narrowly) elliptic or oblanceolate, rarely narrowly obovate, (1.7–)3.1–8(–10.5) × 0.5–2(–2.5) cm, chartaceous, viscid, base cuneate or attenuate, margins entire, apex obtuse or acute, always glandular-mucronate, surfaces densely villous, sometimes less dense adaxially, distal leaves more pubescent than proximal ones;

bracts scarcely 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.

on emergent stems sometimes in leafy racemes, flowers solitary in leaf axils;

bracteoles narrowly to broadly obovate, 1–1.2 × 0.7–0.8 mm, succulent, apex acute, oppositely attached at ovary base.

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 usually deciduous, not persistent on capsule, lanceolate, 6–12(–16) × 2–4 mm, chartaceous, apex acute, surfaces densely villous;

petals yellow, fan-shaped, (12–)16–20(–26) × 11–16(–21) mm, apex rounded, usually emarginate, rarely mucronate;

stamens 10(or 12), in 2 unequal series, yellow, filaments reflexed, shorter ones (2.8–)3.8–5.3 mm, longer ones (3.7–)6–6.5 mm, anthers oblong, 1–2.5 × (0.6–)0.8–1.2 mm;

ovary subcylindric, terete, 6–12 × 1.5–2.5 mm, apex thickened, densely villous;

nectary disc slightly raised on ovary apex, yellow, 1.5–2.5 mm diam., lobed, ringed with villous hairs;

style yellow, 4.7–6.7(–8) mm, glabrous or sparsely pubescent near base, stigma subcapitate-globose, 1–1.3 × 1.6–2.5 mm, usually exserted beyond anthers.

Capsules

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

subcylindric, terete, straight or curved, (11–)14–25 × 3–4 mm, with thick woody walls, irregularly and tardily dehiscent, villous-viscid, pedicel 13–25(–27) mm.

Seeds

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

embedded in wedge-shaped piece of endocarp, 0.8–1 × 0.8–0.9 mm.

2n

= 16.

= 48.

Ludwigia bonariensis

Ludwigia grandiflora

Phenology Flowering summer. Flowering summer.
Habitat Wet places, mainly along coastal areas, especially ditches, banks near brackish water. Wet places, along slow-moving rivers, streams, canals, ditches, often growing into main channel as aquatic weed.
Elevation 0–200[–2600] m. (0–700[–8500] ft.) 0–200[–1200] m. (0–700[–3900] 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; AR; CA; FL; GA; KY; LA; MO; MS; NC; NJ; NY; OK; OR; PA; SC; TN; TX; VA; WA; WV; Central America (Guatemala); South America (Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Paraguay, Uruguay)
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Ludwigia grandiflora occurs in two disjunct areas: the southeastern United States on the coastal plain of southern South Carolina, Georgia, northern Florida, Louisiana, west to central Texas, and recently in southern California (P. C. Hoch and B. J. Grewell 2012) and Oregon; and central South America from south of the Amazon basin of Brazil and Bolivia where it is very scattered, to Uruguay, northeastern Argentina, and Paraguay where it is very frequent. It has been collected three times in Guatemala and twice in Missouri, although it is not clearly established in either region. It usually grows below 200 m elevation, but in Guatemala and in Santa Catarina, Brazil (Smith & , MO), it has been collected as high as Klein 133831200 m elevation. Populations of L. grandiflora in the United States are fairly variable, although not as much as in South American populations.

As noted by Greuter and Burdet, the publication of Jussiaea grandiflora Ruíz & Pavon, which was a synonym of J. peruviana, occurred in 1830, not in 1802 as reported (P. A. Munz 1942; P. H. Raven 1963[1964]). Therefore, J. grandiflora Michaux in 1803 is legitimate, and J. grandiflora Ruíz & Pavon is an illegitimate homonym.

(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. Jussiaea
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. erecta, L. glandulosa, 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 grandiflora, J. repens var. grandiflora, J. repens var. hispida, J. stenophylla, J. stuckertii, J. uruguayensis, L. clavellina var. grandiflora, L. uruguayensis
Name authority (Micheli) H. Hara: J. Jap. Bot. 28: 291. (1953) (Michaux) Greuter & Burdet: Willdenowia 16: 448. (1987)
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