Ludwigia hexapetala |
Ludwigia suffruticosa |
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false loosestrife, large-flower primrose-willow, primrose willow, six petal water primrose, Uruguayan primrose-willow, water primrose |
shrubby primrose-willow, shrubby primrose-willow or seedbox |
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Habit | Herbs, subshrubs, or emergent aquatics, adventitious roots sometimes forming a thick mass 10–23 cm at submerged nodes, sometimes woody at base, white pneumatophores 5–10 cm often on submerged stems. | Herbs with 1–3 rhizomes 0.6–5.5 × 0.2–0.5 mm, often branched, glabrous or densely hirtellous, sometimes also forming stolons 8–80 cm, 1.1–2.2 mm thick, branched, glabrous or sparsely to densely hirtellous. |
Stems | floating or creeping and ascending to erect, terete, 20–200(–400) cm, simple to densely branched apically, glabrous (floating) or sparsely to densely villous (emergent), sometimes villous only on inflorescence. |
erect, slightly ridged, unbranched or slightly branched, (16–)30–90 cm, glabrous or strigillose to hirtellous, especially on distal parts. |
Leaves | stipules ovate or deltate, 0.7–2 × 0.5–1.1 mm, not succulent, apex subacute, mucronate; petiole flattened, 0.5–2(–2.5) cm; blade narrowly oblanceolate, narrowly elliptic, or lanceolate to obovate or spatulate, (1.5–)4.2–10.7(–13.5) × (0.5–)0.8–3 cm, chartaceous, base cuneate or attenuate, margins entire, apex acute to obtuse, rounded or truncate, sometimes mucronate, surfaces not shiny, usually glabrous, sometimes villous on petiole and veins or throughout; bracts not reduced. |
alternate; stipules deltate, 0.25–0.45 × 0.15–0.4 mm; rhizomes: sessile, blades minute, appressed, and scalelike, oblate or suborbiculate, 0.3–0.6 × 0.6–0.9 mm; stolons: petiole 0.1–0.6 cm, blade oblong or oblanceolate-elliptic to spatulate, 0.4–3.5 × 0.2–1.5 cm; main stem: sessile, blade lanceolate-elliptic or lanceolate-linear to linear, 2.5–9.5 × (0.1–)0.3–0.9 cm, proximal ones shorter and often oblong or oblong-lanceolate, base rounded or obtuse, margins entire with obscure hydathodal glands, apex acuminate to acute, surfaces glabrous or, sometimes, pilose on proximal blades; bracts very reduced. |
Inflorescences | emergent stems sometimes in leafy racemes, sometimes reflexed, flowers solitary in leaf axils; bracteoles obovate to narrowly obovate, 1–1.8 × 0.7–0.8 mm, apex acute or acuminate, attached on distal 1/2 of pedicel or at ovary base. |
densely clustered, terminal racemes or spikes, 1–5(–12) cm; bracteoles attached at base of ovary or on pedicel distally, narrowly lanceolate, 3.5–5(–6) × (1.2–)1.4–2 mm, surfaces usually glabrous, sometimes pilose abaxially. |
Flowers | sepals ovate-deltate or lanceolate-deltate, (8–)12–19 × 2–5 mm, chartaceous, margins entire, apex acuminate, surfaces ± densely villous; petals bright yellow, sometimes with orange base, fan-shaped, (15–)20–30 × (12–)16–25 mm, apex emarginate or mucronate; stamens 10(or 12), in 2 unequal series, yellow, filaments recurved, shorter ones (1.6–)2.3–5.2 mm, longer ones (3.1–)3.6–7.5 mm, anthers oblong, (1.2–)1.7–4 × 1–1.5 mm; ovary subcylindric, terete, 10–18 × 2–3 mm, apex ± broadened, glabrous or sparsely to densely villous; nectary disc slightly raised on ovary apex, yellowish green, 2–4 mm diam., lobed, glabrous or ringed with white hairs; style yellow, 6–10 mm, glabrous, stigma subcapitate-globose, 0.5–1.5 × 1.5–2.5 mm, often exserted beyond anthers. |
sepals ascending, pale green or white adaxially, broadly ovate-deltate, 2.3–3.5(–4) × 2.3–3.2(–3.8) mm, margins entire, apex acuminate, surfaces glabrous; petals 0; filaments yellow or cream, 1.2–2 mm, distinctly dilated toward base, anthers 0.7–1(–1.3) × 0.5–0.7 mm; pollen shed in tetrads; ovary broadly obovoid or cup-shaped, 2.2–3 × 2.3–3.3 mm; nectary disc elevated 0.5–0.6 mm on ovary apex, pale yellow, 1.8–3.1 mm diam., obscurely 4-lobed, glabrous; style pale yellow, 0.9–1.7 mm, glabrous, stigma pale green to white, globose to capitate, 0.4–0.8 × 0.5–0.8 mm, distinctly 4-lobed, not exserted beyond anthers. |
Capsules | cylindric or subclavate, terete, sometimes curved, (12–)16–24(–30)× 2.5–4 mm, with thick woody walls, irregularly and tardily dehiscent, pedicel (9–)13–25(–85) mm. |
broadly obpyramidal, angles rounded, sometimes subspherical, 2.5–4.3 ×2.5–4.5(–5) mm, hard-walled, dehiscent by apical ring, pedicel 0.5–1.5(–2) mm. |
Seeds | embedded in wedge-shaped piece of endocarp, 0.8–1 × 0.8–1 mm. |
brown, elliptic-oblong, curved on both ends, 0.5–0.6 × 0.2–0.3 mm, surface cells ± isodiametric. |
2n | = 80. |
= 32. |
Ludwigia hexapetala |
Ludwigia suffruticosa |
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Phenology | Flowering spring–late fall. | Flowering May–Sep. |
Habitat | Wet places, along slow-moving rivers, streams, canals, ditches, often growing into main channel as aquatic weed. | Sandy ditches, marshes, wet meadows, limestone sinks, cypress swamps, moist pinelands. |
Elevation | 0–200[–2600] m. (0–700[–8500] ft.) | 0–150 m. (0–500 ft.) |
Distribution |
AL; AR; CA; FL; GA; KY; LA; MS; NC; NY; OR; PA; SC; TN; WA; Central America (Costa Rica); South America (Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay) [Introduced in w Europe (Belgium, France, Spain)]
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AL; FL; GA; NC; SC
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Discussion | Ludwigia hexapetala (2n = 80) was formerly included with L. grandiflora (2n = 48) in L. uruguayensis (Cambessèdes) H. Hara, and some authors (G. L. Nesom and J. T. Kartesz 2000) still consider them to be a single species. The small but consistent morphological differences and different ploidy levels argue for keeping them distinct at the species level. Fernald described Jussiaea michauxiana (1944), since he thought that J. grandiflora Michaux (1803) was a homonym (not J. grandiflora Ruíz & Pavon). However, it was later determined that the volume containing the Ruíz & Pavon name was published in 1830 (not 1802) making the name by Michaux valid and legitimate, and the name by Fernald an illegitimate substitution. Plants now known as Ludwigia hexapetala were included in the circumscription of L. uruguayensis (Cambessèdes) H. Hara (based on J. uruguayensis Cambessèdes) by P. H. Raven (1963[1964]) and P. A. Munz (1965). (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
Ludwigia suffruticosa is distinctive by virtue of its highly condensed inflorescence and sessile leaves. It also differs from other species in sect. Isnardia in that it perennates mainly by underground rhizomes. This apetalous species has showy bracts and attracts many insects, including bumblebees, wasps, and honeybees (C. I. Peng 1989). Its center of distribution is in Florida, extending along the coastal plain barely to Alabama on the west and barely to southern North Carolina on the northeast. Recent reports of this species from Mississippi and from Mexico (Chiapas and Oaxaca) have not been confirmed. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
Source | FNA vol. 10. | FNA vol. 10. |
Parent taxa | Onagraceae > subfam. Ludwigioideae > Ludwigia > sect. Jussiaea | Onagraceae > subfam. Ludwigioideae > Ludwigia > sect. Isnardia |
Sibling taxa | ||
Synonyms | Jussiaeahexapetala hooker, J. repens var. major, L. grandiflora subsp. hexapetala, L. grandiflora var. hexapetala, L. uruguayensis var. major | Isnardia suffruticosa |
Name authority | (Hooker & Arnott) Zardini, H. Y. Gu & P. H. Raven: Syst. Bot. 16: 243. (1991) | Walter: Fl. Carol., 90. (1788) |
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