Boerhavia erecta L., Nyctaginaceae

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Present on Pacific Islands?  no

Primarily a threat at high elevations?  no

Common name(s): [more details]

Chinese: zhi li huang xi xin

English: erect boerhavia, erect spiderling

Spanish: cadillo lagana, colombiana, golondrina, hierba blanca, hoja morada, iscorian, palo de leche

Habit:  herb

Description:  "Perennial, erect herb to 1 m tall, with a robust taproot.  Stems terete, thickened at nodes, green or purple, commonly sticky.  Leaves in unequal pairs, petiolate, glandular, finely hairy, 10-40 - 5-25 mm (larger leaves), and 5-30 - 4-20 mm (smaller leaves).  Inflorescence of axillary and terminal panicles, or umbel-like, with 3-9 flowers per group. Perianth constricted about the middle, green and persistent below, upper parts white to pink, 5-lobed, and falling at maturity.  Fruit to 4 mm long, thin-walled, ribbed, becoming sticky when wet, containing a single, club-shaped, longitudinally-ribbed seed."  (Waterhouse & Mitchell, 1998; pp. 57-58).

Habitat/ecology:  "Open, sunny places in disturbed forests, pastures, cultivated land, roadsides and foreshores.  Mostly in regions of seasonal rainfall.  0-2100 m altitude.  A serious weed of annual crops."  (Waterhouse & Mitchell, 1998; pp. 57-58). In New Guinea, "a plant of disturbed forest, foreshores and grassland, and a weed of roadsides, pastures, and cultivation. At low altitudes, mostly in regions of seasonal rainfall" (Henty & Pritchard, 1975; p. 127).

Propagation:  "The sticky fruit are dispersed externally by animals, including birds and humans" (Waterhouse & Mitchell, 1998; pp. 57-58).

Native range:  United States, Mexico, Central America, western South America (GRIN).

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	Tinian Island	introduced	Raulerson, L. (2006) (p. 29)
Ecuador (Galápagos Islands) Española Group	Española Island	native	Charles Darwin Research Station (2005)
Ecuador (Galápagos Islands) Española Group	Gardner por Española Islet, Española Island	native	Charles Darwin Research Station (2005)
Ecuador (Galápagos Islands) Española Group	Oeste Islet, Española Island	native	Charles Darwin Research Station (2005)
Ecuador (Galápagos Islands) Española Group	Osborn Islet, Española Island	native	Charles Darwin Research Station (2005)
Ecuador (Galápagos Islands) Floreana Group	Floreana Island	native	Charles Darwin Research Station (2005)
Ecuador (Galápagos Islands) Pinta Group	Pinta Island	native	Charles Darwin Research Station (2005)
Ecuador (Galápagos Islands) San Cristóbal Group	San Cristóbal Island	native	Charles Darwin Research Station (2005)
Ecuador (Galápagos Islands) Santa Cruz Group	Plaza Norte Islet, Santa Cruz Island	native	Charles Darwin Research Station (2005)
Ecuador (Galápagos Islands) Santa Fé Group	Santa Fé Island	native	Charles Darwin Research Station (2005)
Ecuador (Galápagos Islands) Santiago Group	Santiago Island	native	Charles Darwin Research Station (2005)
Guam Guam Island	Guam Island	introduced	Raulerson, L. (2006) (p. 29)
Papua New Guinea Papua New Guinea (eastern New Guinea Island)	Papua New Guinea (eastern New Guinea Island)	introduced invasive	Waterhouse, B. M./Mitchell, A. A. (1998) (pp. 57-58) Low elevations with seasonal rainfall.
Papua New Guinea Papua New Guinea (eastern New Guinea Island)	Papua New Guinea (eastern New Guinea Island)	invasive	Henty, E. E./Pritchard, G. H. (1975) (p. 127) At low altitudes, mostly in regions of seasonal rainfall.
Philippines Philippine Islands	Philippine Islands		Holm, Leroy/Doll, Jerry/Holm, Eric/Pancho, Jaun/Herberger, James (1997) (p. 107)
Solomon Islands Solomon Islands	Solomon Islands	native	Hancock, I. R./Henderson, C. P. (1988) (p. 51)

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)	introduced invasive	Waterhouse, Barbara (year unknown)
Australia Australia (continental)	Queensland		Holm, Leroy/Doll, Jerry/Holm, Eric/Pancho, Jaun/Herberger, James (1997) (p. 107)
China China	China (People's Republic of)	introduced invasive	Zhengyi, Wu/Raven, Peter H./Deyuan, Hong (2011) "Open sandy areas. Hainan".
China China	Hong Kong		Wu, Te-lin (2001) (p. 74)
Colombia Colombia	Colombia (Republic of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2011)
Costa Rica Costa Rica	Costa Rica (Republic of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2011)
Ecuador (Mainland) Ecuador	Ecuador (Republic of) (continental)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2011)
El Salvador El Salvador	El Salvador (Republic of)		Holm, Leroy/Doll, Jerry/Holm, Eric/Pancho, Jaun/Herberger, James (1997) (p. 110)
Honduras Honduras	Honduras (Republic of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2011)
Indonesia Indonesia	Indonesia (Republic of)	introduced invasive	Waterhouse, B. M./Mitchell, A. A. (1998) (pp. 57-58)
Japan Japan	Japan (country)	introduced	Mito, Toshikazu/Uesugi, Tetsuro (2004) (p. 181)
Mexico Mexico	Mexico (United Mexican States)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2011)
Nicaragua Nicaragua	Nicaragua (Republic of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2011)
Perú Perú	Perú (Republic of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2011)
Thailand Thailand	Thailand (Kingdom of)	introduced invasive	Waterhouse, B. M./Mitchell, A. A. (1998) (pp. 57-58)

Indian Ocean
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
Australia (Indian Ocean offshore islands) Christmas Island Group	Christmas Island	introduced invasive	Smith, Nicholas M. (2002) (p. 88)
Maldives Maldive Islands	Malè Atoll		Fosberg, F. R. (1957) (p. 17) "Weedy sod back of beach". Voucher cited: Fosberg 36859 (US)
Mauritius Mautitius Islands (Mauritius and Rodrigues)	Mauritius Island		Holm, Leroy/Pancho, Juan V./Herberger, James P./Plucknett, Donald L. (1979) (p. 49)

Also reported from
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
United States (continental except west coast) United States (other states)	United States (other states)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2011)

Comments:  A weed species in Australia (Barbara Waterhouse, pers. com.)

Additional information:
Fact sheet from Australian Quarantine and Inspection Service.

Additional online information about Boerhavia erecta is available from the Hawaiian Ecosystems at Risk project (HEAR).

Information about Boerhavia erecta as a weed (worldwide references) may be available from the Global Compendium of Weeds (GCW).

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

References:

Charles Darwin Foundation. 2008. Database inventory of introduced plant species in the rural and urban zones of Galapagos. Charles Darwin Foundation, Galapagos, Ecuador.

Charles Darwin Research Station. 2005. CDRS Herbarium records.

Fosberg, F. R. 1957. The Maldive Islands, Indian Ocean. Atoll Research Bulletin No. 58. Pacific Science Board, National Academy of Sciences, Washington. 37 pp.

Hancock, I. R./Henderson, C. P. 1988. Flora of the Solomon Islands. Research Bulletin No. 7. Ministry of Agriculture and Lands, Honiara. 203 pp.

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/Doll, Jerry/Holm, Eric/Pancho, Jaun/Herberger, James. 1997. World weeds: natural histories and distribution. John Wiley & Sons. 1129 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.

Mito, Toshikazu/Uesugi, Tetsuro. 2004. Invasive alien species in Japan: the status quo and the new regulation for prevention of their adverse effects. Global Environmental Research 8(2)/2004: 171-191.

Raulerson, L. 2006. Checklist of Plants of the Mariana Islands. University of Guam Herbarium Contribution 37:1-69. .

Smith, Nicholas M. 2002. Weeds of the wet/dry tropics of Australia - a field guide. Environment Centre NT, Inc. 112 pp.

U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. 2011. National Genetic Resources Program. Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN). Online searchable database.

Waterhouse, B. M./Mitchell, A. A. 1998. Northern Australia Quarantine Strategy: weeds target list. Second edition. Australian Quarantine & Inspection Service, Miscellaneous Publication No. 6/98. 110 pp.

Waterhouse, Barbara. 0. Barbara Waterhouse, pers. com.

Wu, Te-lin. 2001. Check List of Hong Kong Plants. Hong Kong Herbarium and the South China Institute of Botany. Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department Bulletin 1 (revised). 384 pp.

Zhengyi, Wu/Raven, Peter H./Deyuan, Hong. 2011. Flora of China (online resource).