Bacopa procumbens (Mill.) Greenm., Scrophulariaceae

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Present on Pacific Islands?  yes

Threat only at high elevations?  no

Risk assessment results:  High risk, score: 7 (Go to the risk assessment)

Other Latin names:  Mecardonia procumbens (Mill.) Small

Common name(s): [more details]

English: baby jump-up

Habit:  herb

Description:  "Plants annual or perennial, glabrous, branched from the base, prostrate to suberect, the stems mostly 30 cm log or less; leaves short-petiolate, ovate or oval, mostly 8-15 mm long, rounded to acute at the apex, acute at the base, serrate, usually blackening when dried; pedicels slender, mostly longer than the leaves; sepals green, the outer ones in age 8-10 mm long, ovate, subacute, obtuse at the base, glabrous; corolla bright yellow, about 1 cm long; capsule oblong, 6-10 mm long" (Standley & Williams, 1973; p. 333).

"Suberect herbs...; stems quadrangular, glabrous; leaves elliptic or shortly ovate-elliptic, crenulate-serrulate, 1-2.5 cm long, 6-12 mm wide; calyx without basal bracteoles; pedicels 4-6 mm long at anthesis, elongating in fruit to 18 mm; corolla yellow, slightly longer than calyx, capsule 2-valved" (Stone, 1970; p. 523).

Habitat/ecology:  A weed of wet or brackish localities (Stone, 1970; p. 523). In New Guinea, "a plant of disturbed land and heavily-grazed grassland, and a weed of cultivation and lawns" (Henty & Pritchard, 1975; p. 146).

Propagation:  Seed

Native range:  Tropical America

Presence:

Pacific
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (US) Northern Mariana Islands	Rota Island	introduced	Fosberg, F. R./Sachet, Marie-Hélène/Oliver, Royce (1979) (p. 248)
Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (US) Northern Mariana Islands	Saipan Island	introduced	Fosberg, F. R./Sachet, Marie-Hélène/Oliver, Royce (1979) (p. 248)
Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (US) Northern Mariana Islands	Tinian Island	introduced	Raulerson, L. (2006) (p. 61)
Federated States of Micronesia Chuuk Islands	Namoluk (Nómwunuuk) Atoll		Marshall, Mae/Fosberg, F. R. (1975) (p. 46) Voucher cited: Marshall 104 (US)
Federated States of Micronesia Chuuk Islands	Puluwat (Pwonowót) Atoll	introduced invasive	Manner, H. I./Mallon, E. (1989) (p. 58) Voucher cited: Manner & Mallon 276 (GUAM)
Federated States of Micronesia Chuuk Islands	Weno (Moen) Island	introduced	Fosberg, F. R./Sachet, Marie-Hélène/Oliver, Royce (1979) (p. 248)
Federated States of Micronesia Chuuk Islands	Weno (Moen) Island	introduced	Fosberg, F. R./Sachet, M.-H. (1975) (p. 84) Voucher cited: Rainey 39 (Fo)
Federated States of Micronesia Pohnpei Islands	Pohnpei Island	introduced	Fosberg, F. R./Sachet, Marie-Hélène/Oliver, Royce (1979) (p. 248)
Federated States of Micronesia Pohnpei Islands	Pohnpei Island	introduced	Glassman, S. F. (1952) (p. 101) Voucher cited: Glassman 2555 (US)
Federated States of Micronesia Pohnpei Islands	Pohnpei Island	introduced	Fosberg, F. R./Sachet, M.-H. (1975) (p. 84) VoucherS cited: Glassman 2555 (US, BISH), Stone 1960 (UG)
Federated States of Micronesia Yap Islands	Yap (Waqab) Island		Swarbrick, John T. (1997) (p. 88)
Guam Guam Island	Guam Island	introduced invasive	Stone, Benjamin C. (1970) (p. 523) Voucher cited: Stone 4674 (GUAM)
Guam Guam Island	Guam Island	introduced	Fosberg, F. R./Sachet, Marie-Hélène/Oliver, Royce (1979) (p. 248)
Nauru Nauru Island	Nauru Island	introduced invasive	Thaman, R. R./Fosberg, F. R./Manner, H. I./Hassall, D. C. (1994) (p. 195) Voucher cited: Fosberg 58813 (US)
Palau Palau (main island group)	Babeldaob Island		Raulerson, L./Rinehart, A. F./Falanruw, M. C. (1996)
Palau Palau (main island group)	Peleliu Island	introduced	Fosberg, F. R./Canfield, Joan E. (1980) (pp. 197-198) Voucher cited: Canfield 421 (US)
Papua New Guinea Papua New Guinea (eastern New Guinea Island)	Papua New Guinea (eastern New Guinea Island)	introduced invasive	Henty, E. E./Pritchard, G. H. (1975) (p. 146)

Pacific Rim
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
Costa Rica Costa Rica	Costa Rica (Republic of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2007)
Ecuador (Mainland) Ecuador	Ecuador (Republic of) (continental)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2007)
El Salvador El Salvador	El Salvador (Republic of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2007)
Guatemala Guatemala	Guatemala (Republic of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2007)
Honduras Honduras	Honduras (Republic of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2007)
Indonesia Indonesia	Indonesia (Republic of)		Holm, Leroy/Pancho, Juan V./Herberger, James P./Plucknett, Donald L. (1979) (p. 43)
Mexico Mexico	Mexico (United Mexican States)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2007)
Nicaragua Nicaragua	Nicaragua (Republic of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2007)
Panama Panama	Panama (Republic of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2007)
Perú Perú	Perú (Republic of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2007)

Additional information:  Additional online information about Bacopa procumbens is available from the Hawaiian Ecosystems at Risk project (HEAR).

Taxonomic information about Bacopa procumbens may be available from the Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN).

References:

Fosberg, F. R./Canfield, Joan E. 1980. Noteworthy Micronesian plants 3. Micronesica 16(2):189-200.

Fosberg, F. R./Sachet, M.-H. 1975. Noteworthy Micronesian plants 2. Micronesica 11(1):81-84.

Fosberg, F. R./Sachet, Marie-Hélène/Oliver, Royce. 1979. A geographical checklist of the Micronesian dicotyledonae. Micronesica 15:1-295.

Glassman, S. F. 1952. The flora of Ponape. Bishop Mus. Bull. 209: 1-152.

Henty, E. E./Pritchard, G. H. 1975. Weeds of New Guinea and their control. 2nd edition. Department of Forests, Division of Botany, Botany Bull. No. 7. Lae, Papua New Guinea. 180 pp.

Holm, Leroy/Pancho, Juan V./Herberger, James P./Plucknett, Donald L. 1979. A geographical atlas of world weeds. John Wiley & Sons, New York. 391 pp.

Manner, H. I./Mallon, E. 1989. An Annotated list of the vascular plants of Pulawat Atoll. Micronesica 22:23-63.

Marshall, Mae/Fosberg, F. R. 1975. The natural history of Namoluk Atoll, eastern Caroline Islands. Atoll Research Bulletin No. 189. Smithsonian Institution, Washington. 53 pp + photos.

Raulerson, L. 2006. Checklist of Plants of the Mariana Islands. University of Guam Herbarium Contribution 40:1-69. .

Raulerson, L./Rinehart, A. F./Falanruw, M. C. 1996. A botanical reconnaissance of the proposed Compact-impact road alignment on Babeldaob Island, Republic of Palau. U. of Guam Herbarium Cont. No. 32. 78 pp.

Standley, Paul C./Williams, Louis O. 1970. Flora of Guatemala. Fieldiana: Botany. Vol. 24, Part IX, Nos. 1-4. Chicago Natural History Museum. 418 pp.

Stone, Benjamin C. 1970. The flora of Guam. Micronesica 6:1-659.

Swarbrick, John T. 1997. Weeds of the Pacific Islands. Technical paper no. 209. South Pacific Commission, Noumea, New Caledonia. 124 pp.

Thaman, R. R./Fosberg, F. R./Manner, H. I./Hassall, D. C. 1994. The flora of Nauru. Smithsonian Institution, Washington. Atoll Research Bulletin 392:1-223.

U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. 2007. National Genetic Resources Program. Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN). Online searchable database.