Present on Pacific Islands?  yes

Primarily a threat at high elevations?  no

Other Latin names:  Lobelia purpurascens sensu J. W. Parham in Dept. Agr. Fiji Bull.35 and other publications.

Common name(s): [more details]

Chinese: luan ye ban bian lian

English: white root

Fijian: vononiwai

Habit:  herb

Description:  "Prostrate herb..., the stems rooting at lower nodes, then ascending to 20 cm high; petiole 1-20 mm long; leaf blades ovate, 1-4 (-6) x 1-3.5 cm, tinged with purple beneath, subentire to repand-dentate, puberulent to glabrous on both surfaces; flowers axillary, the pedicels 1-3.5 cm long; calyx tube 2-4 mm long, the lobes lanceolate to deltoid, 3-5 mm long; corolla 4-9 mm long, pale blue or lavender, dorsally slit to base, the tube nearly white; filaments 3-5 mm long, the anthers 0.8-1.5 mm long, with apical hair tufts; capsule ovoid, 3-6 mm long, yellowish brown" (Smith, 1991; p. 247).

Habitat/ecology:  In Fiji, "from near sea level to about 1,000 m, often abundantly naturalized along trails in dense forest and also in dry forest, wet clearings, cocoa plantations, pastures, marshes, and swamps, and along roadsides" (Smith, 1991; p. 247).  "In Samoa, "uncommon in wet disturbed places, mostly in the mountains" (Whistler, 1988; p. 8).

Propagation:  Seed, vegetatively.

Native range:  "Southeastern Asia (from Ceylon, the Himalayas, southern China, and Formosa) throughout Malesia.  Specimens have not been noted from between New Guinea and Fiji" (Smith, 1991; p. 247).

Presence:

Pacific
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
Fiji Fiji Islands	Matuku Island	introduced invasive	Smith, Albert C. (1991) (p. 247) Voucher cited: DA 7739
Fiji Fiji Islands	Rambi Island	introduced invasive	Smith, Albert C. (1991) (p. 247) Voucher cited: DA 3676
Fiji Fiji Islands	Vanua Levu Island	introduced invasive	Smith, Albert C. (1991) (p. 247) Voucher cited: Degener & Ordonez 13911
Fiji Fiji Islands	Viti Levu Island	introduced invasive	Smith, Albert C. (1991) (p. 247) Vouchers cited: Greenwood 811, Smith 4760, O. & I. Degener 32059, Smith 9402, DA 8630, Smith 8805, DA 10951, DA 12323, DA 9424, DA 6018, Greenwood 811A, Gillespie 3407, Smith 7003, DA 11432, DA 7563
Fiji Fiji Islands	Viti Levu Island		National Tropical Botanical Garden (U.S.A. Hawaii. Kalaheo.) (1927) (voucher ID: PTBG 45067) Taxon name on voucher: Lobelia zeylanica
Samoa Western Samoa Islands	Western Samoa Islands		Whistler, W. A. (1988) (p. 8)
Solomon Islands Solomon Islands	Solomon Islands	native	Hancock, I. R./Henderson, C. P. (1988) (p. 87)

Pacific Rim
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
China China	China (People's Republic of)	native	Smith, Albert C. (1991) (p. 247)
China China	Hong Kong	native	Wu, Te-lin (2001) (p. 259) Along streams.
Indonesia Indonesia	Indonesia (Republic of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2011)
Malaysia Malaysia	Malaysia (country of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2011)
Singapore Singapore	Singapore (Republic of)	native	Chong, Kwek Yan/Tan, Hugh T. W./Corlett, Richard T. (2009) (p. 57) Common
Taiwan Taiwan	Taiwan Island	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2011)
Thailand Thailand	Thailand (Kingdom of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2011)
Vietnam Vietnam	Vietnam (Socialist Republic of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2011)

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

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

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

References:

Chong, Kwek Yan/Tan, Hugh T. W./Corlett, Richard T. 2009. A checklist of the total vascular plant flora of Singapore: native, naturalised and cultivated species. Raffles Museum of Biodiversity Research, National University of Singapore. 273 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.

Smith, Albert C. 1991. Flora Vitiensis nova: a new flora of Fiji. National Tropical Botanical Garden, Lawai, Kauai, Hawaii. Volume 5. 626 pp.

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

Whistler, W. A. 1988. Checklist of the weed flora of western Polynesia. Technical Paper No. 194, South Pacific Commission, Noumea, New Caledonia. 69 pp.

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).