Spermacoce alata Aubl.

Winged false buttonweed (en)

Species

Angiosperms > Gentianales > Rubiaceae > Spermacoce

Characteristics

Herbs, perennial, erect to weak or clambering, sometimes fleshy, usually drying yellowish green, to 1 m; stems 4-angled, hispidulous or pilosulous and sometimes also hirsute, angles rounded to acute or very narrowly winged, wings entire. Leaves sessile to shortly petiolate; petiole to 4 mm, pilosulous or hirtellous; blade drying papery, elliptic or ovate-oblong, 12-75 × 6-40 mm, both surfaces sparsely to densely hispidulous to pilosulous, base cuneate to obtuse then long decurrent, apex acute or obtuse; secondary veins 5 or 6 pairs; stipules hirtellous to hispidulous, sheath 1-1.5 mm, with 5-9 bristles or narrowly triangular lobes 1-7 mm, ciliate. Inflorescences axillary and infrequently apparently also terminal, 6-15 mm in diam., few to several flowered, notably hispidulous to pilosulous; bracts filiform, 0.5-4 mm. Calyx moderately to densely hirtellous or pilosulous; hypanthium portion ellipsoid to obovoid, ca. 0.5 mm; lobes 4, lanceolate to elliptic or triangular, 1-2 mm. Corolla white tinged with blue to pale purple, funnelform, outside pilosulous to hirtellous; tube 2-3 mm, pubescent in throat; lobes triangular, 1-1.5 mm. Capsules ellipsoid to subglobose, 3-3.5 × 2-3 mm, densely hirtellous and often also hirsute on upper portion, densely puberulent to strigillose on sides, stiffly papery to cartilaginous, septicidal from apex with valves usually remaining connected at base, then both valves loculicidal through septum; seeds pale brown or dark brown, ellipsoid, ca. 2 × 1 mm, obtuse at both ends, shiny or dull, surface with numerous tiny pits not organized into rows. Fl. and fr. May-Nov.
Life form perennial
Growth form herb
Growth support free-standing
Foliage retention evergreen
Sexuality hermaphrodite
Pollination -
Spread -
Mature width (meter) -
Mature height (meter) 1.0
Root system -
Rooting depth (meter) -
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Fruiting months
JanFebMar
AprMayJun
JulAugSep
OctNovDec
Nitrogen fixer -
Photosynthetic pathway -

Environment

Light -
Soil humidity -
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Soil acidity -
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Hardiness (USDA) 9-12

Usage

Uses fodder medicinal
Edible -
Therapeutic use -
Human toxicity -
Animal toxicity -

Cultivation

Mode -
Germination duration (days) -
Germination temperacture (C°) -
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Optimum temperature (C°) -
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Productivity -

Images

Spermacoce alata unspecified picture

Distribution

Spermacoce alata world distribution map, present in Brazil, China, Guyana, Suriname, and Venezuela (Bolivarian Republic of)

Identifiers

LSID urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:766585-1
WFO ID wfo-0000312226
COL ID 4YJKM
BDTFX ID -
INPN ID 447559
Wikipedia (EN) Link
Wikipedia (FR)

Synonyms

Spermacoce alata Spermacoce scabrida Bigelovia elata Borreria alata Borreria latifolia f. scabrida