Ammannia baccifera L., Lythraceae

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Present on Pacific Islands?  yes

Primarily a threat at high elevations?  no

Other Latin names:  Ammannia aegyptiaca Willd.

Common name(s): [more details]

Chinese: shui xian cai

English: amania, monarch redstem

Habit:  herb

Description:  "Plant 6.5-32 cm tall, rarely suffruticose. Leaves horizontal or drooping, obovate, obovate-lanceolate or ovate-oblong, acute or obtusish, base usually attenuate, sometimes cuneate or rounded, 1-47 mm long, 0.5-9 mm broad. Cymes ± sessile, glomerular. Flowers sessile or subsessile. Hypanthium 1-1.75 mm long, 1.5-2.5 mm broad. Epicalyx obscure. Petals absent. Style c. 0-0.25 (-0.5) mm. Capsule slightly exceeding the hypanthium, 1.25-1.5(-2) mm in diameter"  (Flora of Pakistan).

"Herbs, annual, 10-50[-100] cm tall. Stem with numerous, ascending branches. Leaves opposite on basal stem portion, opposite or alternate toward stem apices, narrowly elliptic or oblanceolate to linear, 5-60 x 3-10 mm, base attenuate, truncate, or subcordate. Flowers 3 to many in dense axillary cymes; pedicels subsessile, to 1 mm; peduncle absent to 1 mm; bracteoles minute, not reaching floral tube. Floral tube campanulate, tapering at base, 1-2 mm; sepals 4, ca. 0.5 mm, deltate; epicalyx absent. Petals absent. Stamens 4. Style absent to 0.3 mm, much shorter than ovary. Capsules 1-2 mm in diam., 1/4-1/2 exserted"  (Flora of China).

Habitat/ecology:  "A very variable species of rice fields and other wet places in [Pakistan] up to 1200 m"  (Flora of Pakistan).  "Wet places, farmland"  (Flora of China).

Propagation:  Seed

Native range:  India (GRIN).

Presence:

Pacific
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
Guam Guam Island	Guam Island		Wagner, W. L./ Herbst, D. R./Weitzman, A./Lorence, D.H. (2013)
Palau Palau (Belau ) (main island group)	Malakal (Ngemelachel) Island		Wagner, W. L./ Herbst, D. R./Weitzman, A./Lorence, D.H. (2013)
Palau Palau (Belau ) (main island group)	Ngerkebesang Island		Wagner, W. L./ Herbst, D. R./Weitzman, A./Lorence, D.H. (2013)
Palau Palau (Belau ) (main island group)	Peleliu (Beliliou) Island	introduced invasive	Space, James C./Lorence, David H./LaRosa, Anne Marie (2009) (p. 8) Voucher cited: Lorence 9749 (PTBG, BISH, BNM, NY, TAMU, US)
Palau Palau (Belau ) (main island group)	Peleliu (Beliliou) Island		National Tropical Botanical Garden (U.S.A. Hawaii. Kalaheo.) (2008) (voucher ID: PTBG 41) Taxon name on voucher: Ammannia baccifera L.
Philippines Philippine Islands	Philippine Islands	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2013)
Philippines Philippine Islands	Philippine Islands		Merrill, Elmer D. (1923) (pp. 135-136) In open damp waste places at low and medium altitudes, often abundant.

Pacific Rim
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
Australia Australia (continental)	Australia (continental)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2013) Western Australia
Australia Australia (continental)	Northern Territory	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2013)
Australia Australia (continental)	Queensland	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2013)
Cambodia Cambodia	Cambodia (Kingdom of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2013)
China China	China (People's Republic of)	native	Zhengyi, Wu/Raven, Peter H./Deyuan, Hong (2013) Wet places, farmland. Anhui, Fujian, Guangdong, Guangxi, Hebei, Hubei, Hunan, Jiangsu, Jiangxi, Shanxi, Yunnan, Zhejiang.
China China	Hong Kong	native	Wu, Te-lin (2001) (p. 158)
Japan Japan	Japan	introduced invasive	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2013) Naturalized
Japan Japan	Japan	introduced	Mito, Toshikazu/Uesugi, Tetsuro (2004) (p. 186)
Malaysia Malaysia	Malaysia (country of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2013)
Singapore Singapore	Singapore (Republic of)	introduced invasive	Chong, Kwek Yan/Tan, Hugh T. W./Corlett, Richard T. (2009) (p. 13) Naturalised
Taiwan Taiwan Island	Taiwan Island	native	Zhengyi, Wu/Raven, Peter H./Deyuan, Hong (2013) Wet places, farmland.
Thailand Thailand	Thailand (Kingdom of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2013)
Vietnam Vietnam	Vietnam (Socialist Republic of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2013)

Indian Ocean
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
Mauritius Mautitius Islands (Mauritius and Rodrigues)	Rodrigues Island	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2013)

Control:  If you know of control methods for Ammannia baccifera, please let us know.