Ludwigia palustris

Ludwigia palustris is a species of flowering plant in the evening primrose family known by the common names marsh seedbox,[1] Hampshire-purslane[2] and water purslane. This is an aquatic or semiaquatic perennial herb which grows in moist to wet to flooded areas. It is sometimes a weed. The species epithet palustris is Latin for "of the marsh" and indicates its common habitat.[3]

Ludwigia palustris
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Myrtales
Family: Onagraceae
Genus: Ludwigia
Species:
L. palustris
Binomial name
Ludwigia palustris

Description

The stem is up to half a meter (20 in) long and spreads to form mats on the mud, rooting at nodes in contact with the substrate, or floats ascending in the water. The leaves are oppositely arranged and green to red or purple in color. Solitary flowers appear in leaf axils. They are made up of tiny green sepals and no petals. They yield small capsular fruits containing many minute seeds.

Distribution

Its native distribution is unclear, but includes parts of the Americas; it can be found on most continents and spreads easily to become naturalized. It is also cultivated as an aquarium plant. It was identified in England in 1827.[4]

References
  1. USDA, NRCS (n.d.). "Ludwigia palustris". The PLANTS Database (plants.usda.gov). Greensboro, North Carolina: National Plant Data Team. Retrieved 22 December 2015.
  2. BSBI List 2007 (xls). Botanical Society of Britain and Ireland. Archived from the original (xls) on 2015-06-26. Retrieved 2014-10-17.
  3. Archibald William Smith A Gardener's Handbook of Plant Names: Their Meanings and Origins, p. 258, at Google Books
  4. Smail, H C P (1974). "William Borrer of Henfield, botanist and horticuIturaIist, 1781-1862". Watsonia. 10: 55–60.


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