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Carolina primrose-willow

anglestem primrose-willow, anglestem waterprimrose

Habit Herbs, from woody rootstock. Herbs, perennial or (robust) annual, or shrubs, often with woody base, when aquatic, forming white pneumatophores from nodes.
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.

usually erect or strongly ascending, rarely floating or creeping, terete to somewhat angled on young branches, 30–250 cm, well branched to sparsely branched or simple, usually villous, often also strigillose, rarely glabrous, with raised lines decurrent from leaf axils.

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 narrowly deltate, 0.1–0.2 × 0.1–0.2 mm;

petiole 0.2–3.5 cm;

blade broadly lanceolate, 3.5–18 × 1–4 cm, base narrowly cuneate, margins subentire, apex acuminate, surfaces hirsute or villous;

bracts slightly to much 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 racemes, flowers solitary in axils;

bracteoles often absent, when present, narrowly deltate, 2–3 × 1.2–2.4 mm, attached near 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 ovate-deltate, 5.5–11 × 1.5–3 mm, margins entire, apex acuminate, surfaces villous;

petals orange-yellow, obovate, 5–11 × 4–8 mm;

stamens (8 or)10 or 12(or 14), in 2 unequal series, longer filaments 2.5–4.5 mm, shorter ones 1.5–2.5 mm, anthers oblong, 1.2–1.6 × 0.7–1 mm, extrorse;

ovary cylindric, subterete, 10–16 × 2–3 mm, glabrate to strigillose or villous;

nectary disc slightly elevated at ovary apex, 2–4 mm diam., lobed, depressed, surrounded by densely matted white hairs;

style 3–4.5 mm, glabrous, stigma capitate-globose, 1–1.5 × 2–2.5 mm, ± 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.

obscurely [4 or]5 or 6[or 7]-angled or subterete, straight or curved, 15–50 × 2.5–4 mm, relatively thin-walled, seeds visible as bumps, tardily and irregularly loculicidal, villous, pedicel 2–20 mm.

Seeds

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

in 1 row per locule, horizontal and loosely embedded in an easily detached horseshoe-shaped segment of firm endocarp, pale brown, obovoid, 1–1.2 mm, shiny, finely pitted, raphe much narrower than seed body.

2n

= 16.

= 32, 48.

Ludwigia bonariensis

Ludwigia leptocarpa

Phenology Flowering summer. Flowering summer.
Habitat Wet places, mainly along coastal areas, especially ditches, banks near brackish water. Wet places, mainly along coastal areas, especially ditches, banks near brackish water.
Elevation 0–200[–2600] m. (0–700[–8500] ft.) 0–200[–1300] m. (0–700[–4300] 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; DE; FL; GA; IL; IN; KY; LA; MD; MO; MS; NC; OH; OK; PA; SC; TN; TX; VA; WV; Central America; South America; Mexico (Campeche, Chiapas, Jalisco, Nayarit, Oaxaca, San Luis Potosí, Tabasco, Tamaulipas, Veracruz); West Indies (Cuba, Hispaniola, Jamaica, Puerto Rico); Africa; Indian Ocean Islands (Madagascar)
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Ludwigia leptocarpa is a globally widespread and morphologically variable species; in the flora area it is distributed widely in wet areas of the southeastern United States. Both tetraploid and hexaploid plants are known, but it is not clear if or how ploidy level is related to the considerable morphological variation, especially in pubescence type and pattern.

(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. Seminudae
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. grandiflora, L. hexapetala, L. hirtella, L. lanceolata, 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 leptocarpa, J. biacuminata, J. foliosa, J. leptocarpa subsp. angustissima, J. leptocarpa var. angustissima, J. leptocarpa var. meyeriana, J. pilosa, J. pilosa var. robustior, J. schottii, J. surinamensis, J. variabilis, J. variabilis var. meyeriana, J. variabilis var. pilosa, L. leptocarpa var. angustissima, L. leptocarpa var. meyeriana
Name authority (Micheli) H. Hara: J. Jap. Bot. 28: 291. (1953) (Nuttall) H. Hara: J. Jap. Bot. 28: 292. (1953)
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