FNA: Scoparia dulcis vs. Scoparia montevidensis

	Scoparia dulcis	Scoparia montevidensis
	licorice-weed	broomwort
Habit	Annuals or perennials.	Perennials.
Stems	erect to ascending, usually much-branched distally, (17–)30–100(–150) cm, glabrous or puberulent.	decumbent, spreading, ascending, or erect, sometimes rooting at nodes, usually much-branched proximally, 10–30 cm, glabrous or distally sparsely glandular-puberulent.
Leaves	blade oblanceolate to narrowly oblanceolate or rhombic, 8–53 × 3–25 mm, base tapered to cuneate, margins crenate to dentate in distal 1/2.	blade oblanceolate to narrowly oblanceolate, sometimes linear, 5–25 × 0.4–8 mm, base tapered, margins dentate to pinnately lobed, sometimes entire.
Inflorescences	flowers 1 or 2(or 3) per axil; bracts narrowly oblanceolate to narrowly elliptic, 4–35 mm.	flowers 1 or 2 per axil; bracts narrowly oblanceolate to linear, 2–20 mm.
Pedicels	2–10 mm, glabrous.	6–17 mm, glabrous or sparsely glandular-puberulent.
Flowers	calyx lobes 4, ovate to elliptic-ovate, 1.2–1.5 × 0.6–1 mm, margins ciliolate; corolla white, sometimes tinged pink or lavender, 2–2.5 × 3–4 mm.	calyx lobes 5, ovate to lanceolate, 1.6–2.2 × 0.5–0.7 mm; corolla yellow or orangish yellow, 2.5–2.9 × 3–4.5 mm.
Capsules	ovoid to subglobose, (1.6–)2–2.5(–4) × 1.4–2 mm.	ovoid, 2.2–4 × 1.3–2.5 mm.
Seeds	0.1–0.3 mm.	faces 0.2–0.4 mm.
2n	= 40 (India).

	Scoparia dulcis	Scoparia montevidensis
Phenology	Flowering May–Nov(–Jan).	Flowering Apr–Jul.
Habitat	Marshes, wet hammocks, flatwoods, sandy woods, disturbed sites.	Sandy, disturbed areas, including vacant lots, roadsides, ballast.
Elevation	0–300 m. [0–1000 ft.]	0–100 m. [0–300 ft.]
Distribution	AL; FL; GA; LA; MS; SC; TX; Mexico; Central America; South America; West Indies [Introduced in Asia, Africa, Indian Ocean Islands (Madagascar), Australia] [WildflowerSearch map] [BONAP county map]	FL; NC; Central America; South America; Mexico (Veracruz) [Introduced in North America] [BONAP county map]
Discussion	Scoparia dulcis is a pantropical weed. Noting that it was a widespread weed in lowland tropical America, F. W. Pennell (1935) believed that it was adventive in the United States. Most United States floras consider it to be native in the flora area, and it is treated that way here. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)	R. Chodat (1908) noted the polymorphic nature of Scoparia montevidensis and emphasized habit, leaf margin, and pedicel characters in distinguishing seven varieties. These characters appear to vary freely among South American plants, making the application of infraspecific names of questionable value. The name var. glandulifera has been applied to some specimens in the flora area with glandular-puberulent pedicels. A specimen collected in 1874 on ballast at Kaighn Point in Camden, New Jersey (C. F. Parker s.n., MO) was annotated by F. W. Pennell in 1934 as S. flava. He later cited that specimen, the only collection from New Jersey, as S. montevidensis (Pennell 1935), apparently adopting a concept of that species that included S. flava, an approach that is followed here. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Source	FNA vol. 17, p. 276.	FNA vol. 17, p. 276.
Parent taxa	Plantaginaceae > Scoparia	Plantaginaceae > Scoparia
Sibling taxa	S. montevidensis	S. dulcis
Synonyms		Microcarpaea montevidensis, S. flava, S. montevidensis var. flava, S. montevidensis var. glandulifera
Name authority	Linnaeus: Sp. Pl. 1: 116. (1753)	(Sprengel) R. E. Fries: Ark. Bot. 6(9): 22. (1907)
Web links	Local Web sites: LA Plants WildflowerSearch iNaturalist (observations) USDA Plants Database LBJ Wildflower Center SEINet Plants of the World Online Encyclopedia of Life Wikipedia Google Image Search	WildflowerSearch iNaturalist (observations) USDA Plants Database LBJ Wildflower Center SEINet Plants of the World Online Encyclopedia of Life Wikipedia Google Image Search

Scoparia montevidensis

licorice-weed

broomwort

Habit

Annuals or perennials.

Perennials.

Stems

erect to ascending, usually much-branched distally, (17–)30–100(–150) cm, glabrous or puberulent.

decumbent, spreading, ascending, or erect, sometimes rooting at nodes, usually much-branched proximally, 10–30 cm, glabrous or distally sparsely glandular-puberulent.

Leaves

blade oblanceolate to narrowly oblanceolate or rhombic, 8–53 × 3–25 mm, base tapered to cuneate, margins crenate to dentate in distal 1/2.

blade oblanceolate to narrowly oblanceolate, sometimes linear, 5–25 × 0.4–8 mm, base tapered, margins dentate to pinnately lobed, sometimes entire.

Inflorescences

flowers 1 or 2(or 3) per axil;

bracts narrowly oblanceolate to narrowly elliptic, 4–35 mm.

flowers 1 or 2 per axil;

bracts narrowly oblanceolate to linear, 2–20 mm.

Pedicels

2–10 mm, glabrous.

6–17 mm, glabrous or sparsely glandular-puberulent.

Flowers

calyx lobes 4, ovate to elliptic-ovate, 1.2–1.5 × 0.6–1 mm, margins ciliolate;

corolla white, sometimes tinged pink or lavender, 2–2.5 × 3–4 mm.

calyx lobes 5, ovate to lanceolate, 1.6–2.2 × 0.5–0.7 mm;

corolla yellow or orangish yellow, 2.5–2.9 × 3–4.5 mm.

Capsules

ovoid to subglobose, (1.6–)2–2.5(–4) × 1.4–2 mm.

ovoid, 2.2–4 × 1.3–2.5 mm.

Seeds

0.1–0.3 mm.

faces 0.2–0.4 mm.

= 40 (India).

Scoparia montevidensis

Phenology

Flowering May–Nov(–Jan).

Flowering Apr–Jul.

Habitat

Marshes, wet hammocks, flatwoods, sandy woods, disturbed sites.

Sandy, disturbed areas, including vacant lots, roadsides, ballast.

Elevation

0–300 m. [0–1000 ft.]

0–100 m. [0–300 ft.]

Distribution

AL; FL; GA; LA; MS; SC; TX; Mexico; Central America; South America; West Indies [Introduced in Asia, Africa, Indian Ocean Islands (Madagascar), Australia]

[WildflowerSearch map]

[BONAP county map]

FL; NC; Central America; South America; Mexico (Veracruz) [Introduced in North America]

[BONAP county map]

Discussion

Scoparia dulcis is a pantropical weed. Noting that it was a widespread weed in lowland tropical America, F. W. Pennell (1935) believed that it was adventive in the United States. Most United States floras consider it to be native in the flora area, and it is treated that way here.

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

R. Chodat (1908) noted the polymorphic nature of Scoparia montevidensis and emphasized habit, leaf margin, and pedicel characters in distinguishing seven varieties. These characters appear to vary freely among South American plants, making the application of infraspecific names of questionable value. The name var. glandulifera has been applied to some specimens in the flora area with glandular-puberulent pedicels. A specimen collected in 1874 on ballast at Kaighn Point in Camden, New Jersey (C. F. Parker s.n., MO) was annotated by F. W. Pennell in 1934 as S. flava. He later cited that specimen, the only collection from New Jersey, as S. montevidensis (Pennell 1935), apparently adopting a concept of that species that included S. flava, an approach that is followed here.

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

Source

FNA vol. 17, p. 276.

Parent taxa

Plantaginaceae > Scoparia

Sibling taxa

S. montevidensis

S. dulcis

Synonyms

Microcarpaea montevidensis, S. flava, S. montevidensis var. flava, S. montevidensis var. glandulifera

Name authority

Linnaeus: Sp. Pl. 1: 116. (1753)

(Sprengel) R. E. Fries: Ark. Bot. 6(9): 22. (1907)

Web links

Unless otherwise noted, all data comes from the online version of the Flora of North America, who have made most of their content available via a Creative Commons license (CC BY 4.0).

Choose a data source: Flora of North America

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Scoparia dulcis

Scoparia montevidensis

Scoparia dulcis

Scoparia montevidensis