Photo 6360961, (c) Dushyantha Large, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Dushyantha Large

Attribution © Dushyantha Large
some rights reserved
Uploaded by dushylarge dushylarge
Source iNaturalist
Associated observations

Photos / Sounds

What

Nettleleaf Velvetberry (Stachytarpheta urticifolia)

Observer

dushylarge

Date

October 26, 2016 07:28 AM +0530

Description

Stachytarpheta urticifolia, Blue Rat-tail, Verbenaceae, is a herb from tropical America naturalised in Sri Lanka. Flowers open only a few at a time on the long spike.

It is a nectar source for butterflies (van der Poorten & van der Poorten, 2016, The Butterfly Fauna of Sri Lanka).

I have observed an Acherontia lachesis (Bee Robber) moth larva devouring the leaves of this plant.

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