Caperonia palustris

(Linnaeus) A. St.-Hilaire

Hist. Pl. Remarq. Brésil 3/4: 245. 1825.

Common names: Sacatrapo Texasweed
WeedyIntroducedIllustrated
Basionym: Croton palustris Linnaeus Sp. Pl. 2: 1004. 1753
Treatment appears in FNA Volume 12. Treatment on page 180. Mentioned on page 181.

Herbs, 25–100 cm; indumentum of glandular and nonglandular hairs, glandular hairs coarse, erect, thick-based, and gland-tipped (especially abundant on stems and petioles). Stems erect, moderately to densely hairy, with gland-tipped hairs and finer, usually appressed, nonglandular hairs; older stems 4–7 mm diam. Leaves: petiole 0.3–2.5(–3.5) cm; blade narrowly ovate, lanceolate, or linear-lanceolate, 6–15 × (0.6–)1–6 cm (L/W = 2–7(–11)), base usually rounded or obtuse, rarely acute, apex acute or narrowly acute, surfaces glabrescent or sparsely, mostly appressed-hairy. Inflorescences 2–14 cm, peduncle 1–7 cm, fertile portion 1–9 cm, with (1–)2–4 pistillate flowers. Staminate flowers: petals narrowly obovate, 1.4 mm, ± equal, not or somewhat exerted beyond calyx. Pistillate flowers: sepals ovate or elliptic, longest 2–3.2 mm, becoming 3.5–5.5 mm in fruit; petals 1–2(–2.4) mm; ovary densely covered in bulbous-based, gland-tipped trichomes. Capsules 5–7 mm wide, trichomes conic proximally, hairlike distally, gland-tipped. Seeds brown, 2.5–3 mm diam. 2n = 22.


Phenology: Flowering and fruiting Jul–Nov.
Habitat: Disturbed wet areas, ditches, swampy areas, rice fields.
Elevation: 0–100 m.

Distribution

V12 505-distribution-map.jpg

Introduced; Ala., Ark., Fla., La., Miss., Tex., West Indies, Central America, South America.

Discussion

Caperonia palustris is a major weed in rice fields in parts of the southern United States (R. K. Godara et al. 2011). Known in the flora area at least since the 1920s from Texas, this species was first collected in Arkansas in 1971 and Mississippi in 1982.

Selected References

None.

Lower Taxa

None.
... more about "Caperonia palustris"
Lynn J. Gillespie +
(Linnaeus) A. St.-Hilaire +
Croton palustris +
Sacatrapo +  and Texasweed +
Ala. +, Ark. +, Fla. +, La. +, Miss. +, Tex. +, West Indies +, Central America +  and South America. +
0–100 m. +
Disturbed wet areas, ditches, swampy areas, rice fields. +
Flowering and fruiting Jul–Nov. +
Hist. Pl. Remarq. Brésil +
Weedy +, Introduced +  and Illustrated +
Caperonia palustris +
Caperonia +
species +