Stems prostrate or floating or ascending at the tip, rooting at the nodes, glabrous or very sparsely villosulous; lvs alternate, lanceolate to oblanceolate or obovate, narrowed below to a petiole 2–4 cm; fls 5-merous; ovary at anthesis cylindric, 7–12 mm, its pedicel 1–6 mm; pet mostly 1–1.5 cm; stamens 10; anthers 1–1.7 mm; fr sub cylindric, 10-nerved, 2–4 cm, its pedicel 3–8 cm; seeds uniseriate in each locule, individually enclosed by the endocarp, the seed and endocarp together 1 mm, subtruncate at the end opposite the funiculus; 2n=16. Ponds and swamps; s. Ind. to Kans., s. to La. and Tex., thence e. to N.C. and intr. about Phila. and probably elsewhere; pantropical. Our plants are var. glabrescens (Kuntze) Shinners. (Jussiaea repens, misapplied)
Plant not forming such aerophores on the decumbent branches. Petals bright golden-yellow with a darker spot at the base.
For taxon occurring in Australia see Ludwigia peploides subsp. montevidensis (Spreng.) P.H.Raven