Diodia sarmentosa Sw., Rubiaceae

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Present on Pacific Islands?  no

Primarily a threat at high elevations?  no

Other Latin names:  Diodella sarmentosa (Sw.) Bacigalupo & E.L. Cabral

Common name(s): [more details]

English: tropical buttonweed

Habit:  herb

Description:  "Scrambling herb with a tap root.  Stems 1-4 m long, often with numerous lateral branches, square in cross-section and with long hairs on the angles.  Leaves yellowish-green, lanceolate, 1.8-6.3 - 0.7-2.8 cm; leaf blade scabrous above with dense tubercular hairs, smooth below; petiole 1-5 mm long.  Flowers 1-8 in axillary clusters at most nodes, each flower 1.5-3 mm long with 4 mauve or white petals.  Seeds dark blackish red, 2-4 mm long, 1.5 mm wide, 0.8 mm thick." (Waterhouse & Mitchell, 1998; pp. 83-84).

Habitat/ecology:  "A strand plant, often near high water mark; grassland and bushland at low altitudes, and a weed of cultivation." (Waterhouse & Mitchell, 1998; pp. 83-84).

Propagation:  Seed (Waterhouse & Mitchell, 1998; pp. 83-84).

Native range:  Tropical America (Waterhouse & Mitchell, 1998; pp. 83-84). African and American tropics, widely naturalized elsewhere (GRIN).

Presence:

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)	Costa Rica (Republic of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2013)
Central America Central America (Pacific rim)	Guatemala (Republic of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2013)
Central America Central America (Pacific rim)	Honduras (Republic of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2013)
Central America Central America (Pacific rim)	Nicaragua (Republic of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2013)
Central America Central America (Pacific rim)	Panama (Republic of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2013)
Indonesia Indonesia	Indonesia (Republic of)		Waterhouse, B. M./Mitchell, A. A. (1998) (p. 84)
Mexico Mexico	Mexico (United Mexican States)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2013) Chiapas, Jalisco, Nayarit, Oaxaca, Veracruz
Singapore Singapore	Singapore (Republic of)	introduced invasive	Chong, Kwek Yan/Tan, Hugh T. W./Corlett, Richard T. (2009) (p. 34) Naturalised
South America (Pacific rim) South America (Pacific rim)	Colombia	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2013)
South America (Pacific rim) South America (Pacific rim)	Ecuador (Republic of) (continental)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2013)

Comments:  "An important weed in Africa and India. A weed of coffee, tea and leucaena plantations in Indonesia. A BIOTROP listed species." (Waterhouse & Mitchell, 1998; pp. 83-84).

Control:  If you know of control methods for Diodia sarmentosa, please let us know.