Spermacoce alata, the winged false buttonweed,[2] is a species of plant in the family Rubiaceae. It is widespread across the warmer parts of the Western Hemisphere and naturalized in many other parts of the world.
| Winged false buttonweed | |
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Scientific classification 
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| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Asterids |
| Order: | Gentianales |
| Family: | Rubiaceae |
| Subfamily: | Rubioideae |
| Tribe: | Spermacoceae |
| Genus: | Spermacoce |
| Species: | S. alata
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| Binomial name | |
| Spermacoce alata | |
| Synonyms[1] | |
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Description
editSpermacoce 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.[3]
Distribution
editSpermacoce 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][3]
References
edit- ^ a b c "Spermacoce alata Aubl". Plants of the World Online. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Retrieved 14 November 2024.
- ^ NRCS. "Spermacoce alata". PLANTS Database. United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). Retrieved 25 November 2015.
- ^ a b Chen, Tao; Taylor, Charlotte M. "Spermacoce alata". Flora of China. Retrieved 14 November 2024 – via eFloras.org, Missouri Botanical Garden, St. Louis, MO & Harvard University Herbaria, Cambridge, MA.