Buchnera americana L., Orobanchaceae

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Present on Pacific Islands?  yes

Threat only at high elevations?  no

Other Latin names:  Buchnera breviflora Pennell, Buchnera floridana Gandog.

Common name(s): [more details]

English: American bluehearts, bupleurum

Habit:  herb

Description:  "Stems to ±60 cm tall, simple, erect, herbaceous, purple above, scabrous (hispidulous), weakly 4-angled to terete. Leaves opposite, sessile, lanceolate, with few coarse serrate teeth, scabrous, acute, to 6 cm long, ±1.5cm broad, with 3 conspicuous main veins arising from base of blade, decussate. Inflorescence: Terminal spike to -15 cm long. Flowers decussate to alternate on axis. Each flower subtended by 3 scalelike bracts. Central bract lance-ovate, to 5 mm long. Lateral bracts (bractlets) linear, 3mm long. All bracts scabrous. Flowers: Corolla 5-lobed, purple, zygomorphic, salverform. Corolla tube to 1.4 cm long, pubescent, white below (in calyx), purple above, bearded internally and at apex of throat with multicellular hairs. Largest corolla lobes to 9 mm long, 3-4 mm broad, often notched at apex. All lobes pubescent internally and externally. Stamens 4, adnate at lower 1/4 of corolla tube, subequal, included. Filaments greenish, 1.1 m long, glabrous. Anthers purple, 2 mm long. Style green, glabrous, included, to 3 mm long. Ovary superior, cylindric, green, glabrous, 3 mm long. Placentation free central, ovules many.  Calyx tube to 6mm long in flower, antrorse strigose, 5-lobed, 10-nerved. Lobes acute, 1.5-2 mm long. Calyx accrescent"  (Missouri Plants).

Habitat/ecology:  (no habitat/ecology info known by PIER)

Propagation:  Seed

Native range:  Central and Eastern United States and Canada (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	Rota Island	introduced	Raulerson, L. (2006) (p. 61) As Buchnera floridana Small[?]
Guam Guam Island	Guam Island	introduced	Raulerson, L. (2006) (p. 61) As Buchnera floridana Small[?]
Marshall Islands Ralik Chain	Kili (Kõle) Atoll	introduced invasive	Vander Velde, Nancy/Vander Velde, Brian (2006) (p. 11) "Common to locally abundant; air strip and other grassy fields, in yards and ruderal areas".
Marshall Islands Ratak Chain	Arno Atoll	introduced invasive	Vander Velde, Nancy/Vander Velde, Brian (2007) (p. 12) "Common to locally abundant; primarily in grassy and ruderal areas, but some invading native vegetation; informant working at Reimers' farm said it was very problematic as it conquers an area which is then taken over by Cassytha".
Marshall Islands Ratak Chain	Majuro (Mãjro) Atoll	introduced invasive	Vander Velde, Nancy (2003) (p. 134) "Several small patches found and it may be showing invasive qualities".
Marshall Islands Ratak Chain	Maloelap Atoll		Vander Velde, Nancy (year unknown)

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. (2007)
United States (continental except west coast) United States (other states)	USA (Florida)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2007)

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

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

References:

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

U. S. Government. 2006. Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS) (on-line resource).

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

U.S. Dept. Agr., Nat. Res. Cons. Serv. 2005. The PLANTS Database, Version 3.5 (http://plants.usda.gov). National Plant Data Center, Baton Rouge, LA 70874-4490 USA.

Vander Velde, Nancy. 0. Nancy Vander Velde, pers. com.

Vander Velde, Nancy. 2003. The vascular plants of Majuro Atoll, Republic of the Marshall Islands. Smithsonian Institution, Atoll Research Bulletin No. 503:1-141.

Vander Velde, Nancy/Vander Velde, Brian. 2006. Plants of Kili Island, Marshall Islands. Unpublished checklist. 12 pp.

Vander Velde, Nancy/Vander Velde, Brian. 2007. Arno plants [preliminary working listing of plant species]. Unpublished checklist, 13 pp.