Ludwigia grandiflora
Ludwigia simpsonii
large-flower primrose-willow, Uruguayan primrose-willow
Simpson's primrose-willow
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.
erect, ascending, decumbent, or prostrate, slightly ridged, well branched, 10–60(–75) cm, glabrous, with raised lines decurrent from leaf axils.
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.
alternate or proximal pairs opposite;
stipules narrowly ovate-deltate, 0.1–0.3 × 0.1–0.2 mm, succulent;
petiole winged, 0.2–1 cm, blade spatulate or oblanceolate to very narrowly oblanceolate or sublinear, 0.6–1.5(–2) × (0.1–)0.3–0.7(–1.1) cm, base attenuate, margins subentire with hydathodal glands, apex acute or mucronate;
bracts not much reduced.
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.
open, leafy spikes or racemes, flowers solitary in leaf axils;
bracteoles attached in opposite pairs near base of ovary, lanceolate-elliptic, 0.9–1.5(–2.5) × 0.4–0.9 mm, swollen at base, apex acuminate.
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.
sepals ascending, creamy white near base adaxially, ovate-deltate, 1.2–1.8 × 1–2 mm, margins entire, apex narrowly acute or acuminate, surfaces glabrous;
petals 0 or very rare;
filaments nearly translucent, 0.5–0.8 mm, anthers 0.2–0.4 × 0.3–0.4 mm;
pollen shed singly;
ovary obconic, subterete or scarcely 4-angled, 1.2–1.8 × 1.2–2 mm;
nectary disc elevated 0.3–0.4 mm on ovary apex, green, 0.9–1.3 mm diam., distinctly 4-lobed, glabrous;
style pale green, 0.4–0.6 mm, stigma pale yellow, subglobose, 0.2–0.3 × 0.2–0.3 mm, not exserted beyond anthers.
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.
obconic, obscurely 4-angled, 1.5–2.5 × 1.5–3 mm, hard-walled, dehiscent by loculicidal slits, pedicel 0–0.4 mm.
embedded in wedge-shaped piece of endocarp, 0.8–1 × 0.8–0.9 mm.
light brown or brown, ellipsoid, 0.5–0.6 × 0.3–0.4 mm, surface cells transversely elongate, glabrous, occasionally covered by minute waxy hairs.
= 48.
= 48.
Ludwigia grandiflora
Ludwigia simpsonii
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.)
Ludwigia simpsonii is a hexaploid species occurring primarily in Florida, with outlier populations in southern Mississippi, western Cuba, and Jamaica. The species grows frequently in close proximity to L. curtissii; it grows mainly along roadside ditches with other weeds, whereas L. curtissii grows in less disturbed habitats, and the two seldom occur side by side (C. I. Peng 1989). Peng (1988, 1989) suggested that the hexaploid (2n = 48) L. simpsonii and the diploid (2n = 16) L. microcarpa gave rise to L. curtissii, the only octoploid (2n = 64) in sect. Isnardia.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
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