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southern water purslane, spoon primrose-willow

creeping water primrose, floating primrose-willow, marsh purslane

Habit Herbs creeping and rooting at nodes, often forming mats. Herbs or emergent aquatics, rooting at nodes, sometimes with fleshy, white pneumatophores at submerged nodes.
Stems

prostrate or decumbent and ascending distally, slightly ridged, well branched, 10–40cm, densely strigillose throughout.

floating or creeping and ascending to erect, terete, 10–100(–300) cm, simple or branched, glabrous or sparsely to densely villous, hairs sometimes viscid on emergent distal stem.

Leaves

opposite;

stipules narrowly deltate or ovate, 0.05–0.15 × 0.05–0.1 mm;

petiole very narrowly winged, 0.3–0.9 cm, blade elliptic-spatulate or narrowly so, 0.9–1.7 × 0.3–0.9 cm, base attenuate, margins entire, apex acute, surfaces strigillose;

bracts not reduced except at branch tips.

stipules broadly ovate-deltate, 0.6–1.6 × 0.4–1 mm, succulent, apex acute or obtuse, gland-tipped, rarely divided into 3 parts;

petiole flattened or narrowly winged, 0.2–6 cm;

blade narrowly oblong or elliptic to ovate, broadly obovate, or orbiculate, (0.4–)1–10 × 0.4–4 cm, base narrowly cuneate or attenuate, margins entire, apex obtuse or rounded to acute, sometimes mucronate or glandular-mucronate, surfaces of floating leaves glabrous, those of emergent leaves glabrous to sparsely or densely strigillose at least adaxially;

bracts scarcely reduced.

Inflorescences

leafy spikes or racemes, flowers usually paired in leaf axils;

bracteoles attached at base of ovary or on short pedicel, narrowly oblong or oblanceolate, 0.2–0.8 × 0.05–0.2 mm, apex acute, often obscured by hairs.

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

bracteoles (rarely absent), deltate, squamate, 0.5–1 × 0.5–1 mm, apex acute, attached near base or on lower 1/2 of ovary.

Flowers

sepals ascending, pale green, broadly ovate-deltate, 1–1.7 × 1.1–1.7 mm, margins entire, apex acuminate, surfaces densely strigillose;

petals 0;

filaments translucent, 0.5–0.8 mm, anthers 0.2–0.4 × 0.3–0.5 mm;

pollen shed singly;

ovary oblong-obovoid, 4-angled to subterete, 1.5–2.5 × 1–1.5 mm;

nectary disc elevated 0.1–0.2 mm on ovary apex, yellowish green, 0.7–0.9 mm diam., 4-lobed, glabrous;

style yellowish green, 0.3–0.5 mm, glabrous, stigma pale yellow, capitate, 0.2–0.3 × 0.2–0.3 mm, not exserted beyond anthers.

sepals narrowly deltate or lanceolate, 3–12 × 1.5–4 mm, apex acute or acuminate, surfaces glabrous or sparsely to densely hirtellous;

petals yellow, obpyramidal,7–24 × 4–13 mm, apex mucronate or emarginate, up-curved;

stamens 10(or 12), in 2 unequal series, bright yellow, filaments suberect or reflexed, shorter ones 1.4–4.2 mm, longer ones (1.9–)3.3–6 mm, anthers oblong, 0.5–2.2 mm;

ovary subcylindric or truncate, 6–20 × 1.5–3 mm, apex somewhat broader, glabrous or sparsely to densely hirtellous;

nectary disc slightly raised on ovary apex, 2–2.5 mm diam., lobed, glabrous or fringed with long hairs;

style (1.9–)2.4–7.3 mm, glabrous or sparsely to densely hirtellous on proximal 1/2, stigma flattened-globose, 0.9–1.2 × 1–2.5 mm, sometimes shallowly or deeply 5-lobed, as long as or exserted beyond anthers.

Capsules

oblong-obovoid, subterete, 2.5–4(–4.5) × 1.5–2.5 mm, thin-walled, seeds often visible on exocarp as small bumps, irregularly dehiscent or dispersing as unit, pedicel 0–0.5 mm.

cylindric, subterete to obscurely 5-angled, straight or curved, 10–40 × 2–4 mm, with thick woody walls, irregularly and tardily dehiscent, pedicel 7–60(–90) mm.

Seeds

dark reddish brown, ellipsoid, 0.5–0.7 × 0.4–0.5 mm, surface cells transversely elongate.

embedded in elongated piece of endocarp, 1–1.5 × 0.9–1.3 mm.

2n

= 32.

= 16.

Ludwigia spathulata

Ludwigia peploides

Distribution
from USDA
[BONAP county map]
from USDA
United States; Mexico; Central America; South America; West Indies (Cuba); Asia (China); Pacific Islands (Galapagos Islands) [Introduced in Europe (France), elsewhere in the Pacific Islands (New Zealand, Society Islands), Australia]
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Flowers May–Sep. Ditches, swales, edges of ponds, lakes, sinks, swamps, sandy river bars, dried seasonal ponds, disturbed low savannas; of conservation concern; 0–200 m; Ala., Fla., Ga., S.C.

The tetraploid Ludwigia spathulata is relatively uncommon and occurs primarily on the Gulf Coastal Plain in the panhandle of Florida, southern Alabama, and southwestern Georgia. Outlying populations have also been collected in transitional areas between the Coastal Plain and the Piedmont in South Carolina and Georgia. With its small apetalous flowers, L. spathulata is modally autogamous and shows low morphological variability. Its strongest affinities appear to be with L. palustris, with which it shares a genome (C. I. Peng 1988, 1989).

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

Subspecies 4 (3 in the flora).

Ludwigia peploides consists of four subspecies more or less well defined geographically and morphologically, with three present in the flora area: subsp. glabrescens, subsp. montevidensis, and subsp. peploides (P. H. Raven 1963[1964]); these subspecies have ranges that are mostly distinct. Subspecies peploides has a wide distribution in the New World, from the southern United States south to Argentina. Subspecies glabrescens is widespread in eastern United States. Subspecies montevidensis occurs primarily in southern South America and scattered (probably introduced) in the southern United States, Australia, France, and New Zealand. Subspecies peploides and montevidensis occur together locally in California and Louisiana, where subsp. montevidensis is introduced. The ranges of subsp. glabrescens and peploides come together in Texas.

Subspecies stipulacea (Ohwi) P. H. Raven is known from eastern Asia (e China).

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

Key
1. Stems usually densely villous, rarely sparsely so; leaf blades not shiny, apices glandular-mucronate; capsules (20–)24–32 mm.
subsp. montevidensis
1. Stems glabrous or sparely villous; leaf blades shiny, apices usually eglandular-mucronate; capsules 10–40 mm.
→ 2
2. Principal leaf blades 0.8–4(–8.5) cm; petioles 0.2–2.5 cm; pedicels 10–35 mm; capsules 10–17(–25) mm; seeds 7–14 per locule.
subsp. peploides
2. Principal leaf blades (2–)4–10 cm; petioles 0.7–6 cm; pedicels 35–90 mm; capsule 25–40 mm; seeds 16–18 per locule.
subsp. glabrescens
Source FNA vol. 10. FNA vol. 10.
Parent taxa Onagraceae > subfam. Ludwigioideae > Ludwigia > sect. Isnardia Onagraceae > subfam. Ludwigioideae > Ludwigia > sect. Jussiaea
Sibling taxa
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. 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. 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. leptocarpa, L. linearis, L. linifolia, L. maritima, L. microcarpa, L. octovalvis, L. palustris, L. peruviana, L. pilosa, L. polycarpa, L. ravenii, L. repens, L. simpsonii, L. spathulata, L. sphaerocarpa, L. suffruticosa, L. virgata
Subordinate taxa
L. peploides subsp. glabrescens, L. peploides subsp. montevidensis, L. peploides subsp. peploides
Synonyms Isnardia spathulata Jussiaea peploides, J. repens var. peploides, L. adscendens var. peploides
Name authority Torrey & A. Gray: Fl. N. Amer. 1: 526. (1840) (Kunth) P. H. Raven: Reinwardtia 6: 393. (1964)
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