Diagnostic ³

"Diffuse herbs; stem 4-angled and prominently winged, hispid. Leaves 2-5 x 1.5 - 3.5 cm, broadly elliptic or ovate, base rounded or cuneate, apex acute, loosely hispid on both sides, lateral veins prominent; stipules sheathing, with subulate hispid bristles. Flowers in axillary few-flowered cymes. Calyx tube c. 1.5 mm long; lobes ovate-acuminate, unequal. Corolla white, c. 4 mm long, hairy at throat; lobes 4. Stamens attached at throat between the lobes. Capsule 2.5-4 mm long, ellipsoid, densely pubescent. Seeds 2, 1.5-2 mm long, ellipsoid, reticulate-rugose on dorsal side."

Synonyms ⁴

Spermacoce caerulescens Aublet

Description ⁵

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.

Sources and Credits

1. (c) Ahmad Fuad Morad, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), https://www.flickr.com/photos/adaduitokla/6076937076/
2. (c) Scamperdale, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), https://www.flickr.com/photos/36517976@N06/3768463960/
3. (c) India Biodiversity Portal, some rights reserved (CC BY), http://eol.org/data_objects/26336180
4. (c) Smithsonian Institution, some rights reserved (CC BY), http://eol.org/data_objects/31508203
5. (c) Wikipedia, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spermacoce_alata

More Info

• iNat taxon page
• Atlas of Living Australia
• Biodiversity Heritage Library
• BOLD Systems BIN search
• eFloras.org
• Flora of North America (beta)
• Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF)
• HOSTS - a Database of the World's Lepidopteran Hostplants
• IPNI (with links to POWO, WFO, and BHL)
• NatureServe Explorer 2.0
• SEINet Symbiota portals
• Tropicos
• USDA PLANTS database
• World Flora Online

iNat Map