Pacific Island Ecosystems at Risk (PIER)

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Acmella uliginosa
(Sw.) Cass., Asteraceae
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Present on Pacific Islands?  yes

Primarily a threat at high elevations?  no

Other Latin names:  Spilanthes uliginosa Sw.

Common name(s): [more details]

Fijian: mbotembotekoro

Habit:  herb

Description: 

Genus: "Erect or decumbent annual or perennial herbs with fascicled roots and opposite leaves; flowering heads small, heterogamous and radiate (ours) or homogamous and discoid, pedunculate, terminal or axillary, usually solitary, the phyllaries 4-24, 1 (ours)-3-seriate, the receptacle high-conic, with obtuse to acuminate, often stramineous paleae loosely enclosing the disk achenes; ray flowers (when present), female, fertile, the corolla limb often inconspicuous, 2- or 3-lobed; disk flowers many to very numerous, fertile, the corolla tubular, 4 (ours)- or 5-lobed, the anther bases with short, acute to acuminate tails, the style branches obtuse; achenes triangular (ray flowers) or compressed (disk flowers), narrowly obovoid or ellipsoid, the pappus obsolete or composed of 1-10 soft, rudimentary bristles"  (Smith, 1991; pp. 287-288).

Species:  Coarse herb 0.2-1 m high.  "The ray and disk flowers are bright yellow distally" (Smith, 1991; pp. 287-288).

Habitat/ecology:  In Fiji, "often locally abundant from near sea level to about 100 m as a naturalized weed in villages, pastures, and cultivated areas, on open hillsides and the rocky shores of rivers, and along roadsides" (Smith, 1991; pp. 287-288). In New Caledonia, "commun à l'état spontané, surtout en fossé humides" (MacKee, 1994; p. 38).

Propagation:  Seed

Native range:  Tropical America (Smith, 1991; pp. 287-288).

Presence:

Pacific
Country/Terr./St. &
Island group
Location Cited status &
Cited as invasive &
Cited as cultivated &
Cited as aboriginal introduction?
Reference &
Comments
American Samoa
Tutuila Islands
Tutuila Island   Swarbrick, John T. (1997) (p. 97)
American Samoa
Tutuila Islands
Tutuila Island   National Tropical Botanical Garden (U.S.A. Hawaii. Kalaheo.) (1991) (voucher ID: PTBG 12114)
Taxon name on voucher: Acmella uliginosa
Federated States of Micronesia
Pohnpei Islands
Pohnpei Island introduced
Fosberg, F. R./Sachet, Marie-Hélène/Oliver, Royce (1979) (p. 290)
Federated States of Micronesia
Pohnpei Islands
Pohnpei Island introduced
invasive
Herrera, Katherine/Lorence, David H./Flynn, Timothy/Balick, Michael J. (2010) (p. 71)
Vouchers cited: F.R. Fosberg 58508 (BISH), S.F. Glassman 2906 (BISH), M. Takamatsu 766 (BISH)
Naturalized
Fiji
Fiji Islands
Ovalau Island introduced
invasive
Smith, Albert C. (1991) (pp. 287-288)
Vouchers cited: Smith 7484, Smith 7390
Fiji
Fiji Islands
Vanua Levu Island introduced
invasive
Smith, Albert C. (1991) (pp. 287-288)
Vouchers cited: DA 10492, DA 11478, Degener & Ordonez 13827, DA 11526
Fiji
Fiji Islands
Vanua Mbalavu Island introduced
invasive
Smith, Albert C. (1991) (pp. 287-288)
Voucher cited: DA 10238
Fiji
Fiji Islands
Viti Levu Island introduced
invasive
Smith, Albert C. (1991) (pp. 287-288)
Vouchers cited: Webster & Hildreth 14343, DA 10547, Greenwood 1025, DA 7788, DA 9601, Greenwood 1025A, DA 11821, DA 7679, DA 10632, DA 10562, Meebold 16483
Japan (offshore islands)
Ogasawara (Bonin) Islands
Bonin (Ogasawara) Islands introduced
Kato, Hidetoshi (2007)
Marshall Islands
Ralik Chain
Jaluit (Jãlwõj) Atoll introduced
Fosberg, F. R./Sachet, Marie-Hélène/Oliver, Royce (1979) (p. 290)
New Caledonia
New Caledonia Archipelago
Île Grande Terre introduced
invasive
cultivated
MacKee, H. S. (1994) (p. 38)
Vouchers cited: Schlechter 14774, Compton 37, Buchholz 1414, MacKee 3907, MacKee 4876, MacKee 11455, MacKee 27978, MacKee 31959
New Guinea (Indonesia and Papua New Guinea)
New Guinea Island
New Guinea Island native
U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2013)
Philippines
Philippine Islands
Philippine Islands native
U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2013)
Solomon Islands
Solomon Islands
Solomon Islands   Swarbrick, John T. (1997) (p. 97)
Tonga
Tonga Islands
Tonga Islands   Swarbrick, John T. (1997) (p. 97)
Pacific Rim
Country/Terr./St. &
Island group
Location Cited status &
Cited as invasive &
Cited as cultivated &
Cited as aboriginal introduction?
Reference &
Comments
Central America
Central America (Pacific rim)
Honduras (Republic of) native
U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2013)
Indonesia
Indonesia
Indonesia (Republic of) native
U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2013)
Java, Sumatra
Singapore
Singapore
Singapore (Republic of) uncertain if introduced
invasive
Chong, Kwek Yan/Tan, Hugh T. W./Corlett, Richard T. (2009) (p. 9)
Weed of uncertain origin
Thailand
Thailand
Thailand (Kingdom of) native
U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2013)

Control:  If you know of control methods for Acmella uliginosa, please let us know.


Need more info? Have questions? Comments? Information to contribute? Contact PIER! (pier@hear.org)

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This page was created on 9 AUG 2002 and was last updated on 10 OCT 2006.