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globefruit primrose-willow, round-pod water-primrose

wing primrose-willow

Habit Herbs often with prominent aerenchyma when base submerged, forming stolons 20–90 cm, 2–3.5 mm thick, floating, sometimes branched. Herbs with aerenchyma when base submerged, forming stolons from lower nodes, 8–65(–95) cm, 0.7–2.5 mm thick.
Stems

erect, slightly ridged, well branched, (40–)60–110 cm, densely strigillose or glabrous.

erect or somewhat sprawling, slightly to distinctly winged (wings to 1.8 mm wide), branched distally, 40–120(–160) cm, glabrous.

Leaves

alternate;

stipules lanceolate-deltate, 0.1–0.4 × 0.1–0.2 mm;

stolons: petiole ± winged, 0.1–0.3 cm, blade narrowly elliptic to oblanceolate or spatulate, 0.9–3 × 0.4–0.8(–1.3) cm, base attenuate, margins subentire with hydathodal glands, apex acute or obtuse;

stems: petiole 0.1–0.4(–1) cm, blade narrowly elliptic or lanceolate to sublinear, on main stem (2.6–)6–10 × 0.5–1.1(–1.6) cm, on branches 2–5(–6) × 0.3–0.5(–0.6) cm, base attenuate or narrowly cuneate, margins entire with hydathodal glands mainly on primary cauline leaves, apex acute to very narrowly acute, surfaces glabrous or densely strigillose;

bracts not much reduced.

alternate;

stipules ovate-deltate, often narrowly so, 0.2–0.4 × 0.1–0.3 mm, succulent;

stolons: petiole 0.15–1 cm, blades orbiculate to oblanceolate or broadly elliptic, 0.4–2.6 × 0.4–1.5 cm, base attenuate, apex rounded to subacute;

stems: petiole 0–0.3 cm, blade lanceolate-elliptic or very narrowly elliptic to linear, sometimes to oblanceolate or oblanceolate-elliptic near base, 1.8–10 × 0.2–1.3(–2) cm, base narrowly cuneate or attenuate, margins subentire with remote hydathodal glands, rarely minutely papillose-serrulate near apex, apex acute to narrowly acute, leaves on side branches much reduced;

bracts much reduced.

Inflorescences

open, leafy racemes, more congested on branches, flowers solitary in leaf axils;

bracteoles attached in subopposite pairs near base of ovary, usually linear to very narrowly lanceolate, rarely lanceolate, 0.5–1.5 × 0.1–0.3 mm, apex acuminate.

sometimes congested, leafy spikes or racemes, flowers solitary in distal leaf axils;

bracteoles attached near base of ovary, lanceolate-elliptic or narrowly so, 2.4–4.7 × 0.6–1.5 mm, margins minutely papillose or smooth, apex acute, surfaces glabrous.

Flowers

sepals ascending, yellow or cream adaxially, ovate-deltate, 2–3.5(–4) × 1.6–3(–3.3) mm, margins entire, apex acuminate, surfaces glabrous or densely strigillose;

petals 0;

filaments yellow, 1–1.7 mm, slightly dilated toward base, anthers 0.5–0.8 × 0.4–0.7 mm;

pollen shed in tetrads;

ovary broadly obovoid or cup-shaped, 1.5–3.5 × 2–3 mm;

nectary disc elevated 0.4–0.6 mm on ovary apex, bright yellow, 1.5–3 mm diam., 4-lobed, glabrous or short-hirtellous between lobes;

style yellow, 0.6–1(–1.3) mm, glabrous or strigillose proximally, stigma yellow, capitate to subglobose, 0.3–0.5 × 0.4–0.7 mm, not exserted beyond anthers.

sepals spreading to reflexed, creamy white adaxially, broadly ovate-deltate, 2–4 × 1.6–4 mm, margins smooth or minutely papillose-serrulate, apex acute or acuminate, surfaces glabrous;

petals 0;

filaments nearly translucent, 1.1–1.7 mm, slightly dilated near base, anthers 0.5–0.9 × 0.4–0.7 mm;

pollen shed singly;

ovary obpyramidal, sharply 4-angled, 2–3.8 × 2–3.5 mm;

nectary disc elevated 0.5–0.8 mm on ovary apex, bright yellow, square with rounded corners, 2–3.3 mm diam., prominently 4-lobed, glabrous;

style pale green, 0.8–1.3 mm, glabrous, stigma pale yellow, subglobose, 0.3–0.6 × 0.3–0.7 mm, shallowly 4-lobed on top, not exserted beyond anthers.

Capsules

sometimes tinged pink, subglobose, subterete, 2–4(–4.5) × 2–4 mm, hard-walled, irregularly dehiscent, pedicel 0.5–1.2(–2.3) mm.

obpyramidal, sharply 4-angled and 4-winged, 3–5 × 2.8–4.5 mm, with hard walls somewhat bulging, dehiscent by apical ring, pedicel 0–0.8 mm.

Seeds

brown to light brown, elliptic, 0.4–0.7 × 0.3–0.4 mm, surface cells transversely elongate to seed length, sometimes oblique.

light brown, ellipsoid, slightly curved on both ends, 0.6–0.7 × 0.3–0.4 mm, surface cells elongate transversely to seed length.

2n

= 32.

= 48.

Ludwigia sphaerocarpa

Ludwigia alata

Phenology Flowering Jun–Sep. Flowering Jun–Oct.
Habitat Drainage ditches, shores of slow-moving streams or ponds, marshes, swales, swamp forests, edges of limestone sinks, peaty bogs in pastures, interdunal marshes. Ditches, edges of ponds and lagoons, peaty or sandy swales, open cypress swamps, sandy borrow pits in open pine woods, swampy, flat outcrops of oolitic rocks, wet savannas, tidal flats, brackish marshes, sandy beach strands and hammocks.
Elevation 0–300 m. (0–1000 ft.) 0–50 m. (0–200 ft.)
Distribution
from FNA
AL; CT; DE; FL; GA; IL; IN; LA; MA; MD; MI; MS; NC; NJ; NY; PA; RI; SC; TN; TX; VA
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
AL; FL; GA; LA; MS; NC; SC; VA; West Indies (Jamaica)
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Ludwigia sphaerocarpa has its primary distribution along the Atlantic coastal plain, from Massachusetts to north-central Florida, and west along the Gulf coastal plain sporadically to southeastern Texas. Disjunct populations occur in south-central Tennessee, extreme southwestern Indiana, along Lake Michigan in northeastern Illinois and northwestern Indiana, and in west-central New York. In Michigan, L. sphaerocarpa is known from Allegan and Berrien counties, as reported by Reznicek and Voss in the Michigan Flora (https://michiganflora.net/species.aspx?id=1757).

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

Ludwigia alata occurs only at very low elevations along the Atlantic and Gulf coastal plains from Virginia to the tip of Florida, and west to southwestern Louisiana, with disjunct populations on Jamaica (C. I. Peng 1989). This hexaploid species is often confused with L. lanceolata, with which it shares two genomes (Peng 1988, 1989) and with which it is frequently sympatric. The showy petals of L. alata suggest a higher level of outcrossing, and numerous natural hybrids have been documented (Peng 1988, 1989).

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

Source FNA vol. 10. FNA vol. 10.
Parent taxa Onagraceae > subfam. Ludwigioideae > Ludwigia > sect. Isnardia Onagraceae > subfam. Ludwigioideae > Ludwigia > sect. Isnardia
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. spathulata, L. suffruticosa, L. virgata
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. spathulata, L. sphaerocarpa, L. suffruticosa, L. virgata
Synonyms Isnardia sphaerocarpa, L. sphaerocarpa var. deamii, L. sphaerocarpa var. jungens, L. sphaerocarpa var. macrocarpa Isnardia alata
Name authority Elliott: Sketch Bot. S. Carolina 1: 213. (1817) Elliott: Sketch Bot. S. Carolina 1: 212. (1817)
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