Spermacoce alata

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Winged false buttonweed
Tharthaval (Malayalam trrutaav[?]) (31450654622).jpg
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Asterids
Order: Gentianales
Family: Rubiaceae
Subfamily: Rubioideae
Tribe: Spermacoceae
Genus: Spermacoce
Species:
S. alata
Binomial name
Spermacoce alata
Synonyms [1]
  • Borreria alata(Aubl.) DC.
  • Spermacoce asperaAubl.
  • Spermacoce caerulescensAubl.
  • Spermacoce latifoliaAubl.
  • Spermacoce sikkimensisQ.Singh
  • Borreria sideritisCham. & Schltdl.
  • Bigelovia elataBartl. ex DC.
  • Borreria bartlingianaDC.
  • Borreria perrottetiiDC.
  • Borreria platyphyllaDC.
  • Borreria scabridaDC.
  • Spermacoce scabridaPohl ex DC.
  • Borreria tetrapteraMiq.
  • Borreria fockeanaMiq.
  • Borreria penicillataMiq.
  • Spermacoce aspera var. latifoliaGriseb.
  • Spermacoce bartlingianaHemsl.
  • Borreria latifolia(Aubl.) K.Schum. in C.F.P.von Martius
  • Borreria latifolia var. minorK.Schum. in C.F.P.von Martius
  • Borreria latifolia var. scabrida(DC.) K.Schum. in C.F.P.von Martius
  • Borreria latifolia var. sideritisK.Schum. in C.F.P.von Martius
  • Tardavel latifolia(Aubl.) Standl.
  • Borreria latifolia var. fockeana(Miq.) Bremek.
  • Borreria splitgerheriBremek.
  • Borreria eradiiRavi
  • Borreria latifolia f. fockeana(Miq.) Steyerm.
  • Borreria latifolia f. minor(K.Schum.) Steyerm.
  • Borreria latifolia f. scabrida(DC.) Steyerm.
  • Neanotis monosperma var. tirunelvelicaA.N.Henry & Chandrab

Spermacoce alata, the winged false buttonweed, [2] is a species of plant in the Rubiaceae. [3] It is widespread across the warmer parts of the Western Hemisphere and naturalized in many other parts of the world.

Contents

Description

Spermacoce alata is a perennial herb, sometimes erect but other times decumbent. Stems are square in cross-section, with wings along the corners running lengthwise along the stem. Leaves are elliptical to oblong, up to 8 cm long. Flowers are white to very pale purple, formed in axillary clumps. [4]

Distribution

Spermacoce alata is considered native to southern Mexico, Central America, a few islands in the Caribbean (Trinidad and the Leeward Islands), and parts of South America (French Guiana, Suriname, Guyana, Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Brazil, Paraguay and Argentina). It is reportedly naturalized in tropical Africa (from Liberia to Uganda), China (Fujian, Guangdong, Hainan, Taiwan, Zhejiang), India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, the Andaman & Nicobar Islands, Malaysia, Thailand, Borneo, Java, Myanmar (Burma), Sumatra, Queensland, the (Australian) Northern Territory, Fiji and Samoa. [1] [4]

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References

  1. 1 2 Kew World Checklist of Selected Plant Families, Spermacoce alata
  2. USDA, NRCS (n.d.). "Spermacoce alata". The PLANTS Database (plants.usda.gov). Greensboro, North Carolina: National Plant Data Team. Retrieved 25 November 2015.
  3. Aublet, Jean Baptiste Christophe Fusée. 1775. Histoire des Plantes de la Guiane Françoise 1: 60–61, t. 22, f. 7.
  4. 1 2 Flora of China, v 19 p 326, 阔叶丰花草 kuo ye feng hua cao, Spermacoce alata