Ludwigia hyssopifolia (G.Don) Exell, Onagraceae

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Present on Pacific Islands?  yes

Threat only at high elevations?  no

Other Latin names:  Jussiaea hyssopifolia G. Don, Jussiaea linifolia Vahl non Ludwigia linifolia Poir.

Common name(s): [more details]

Chamorro: charguan asusuyan, titimo

Fijian: nai qisa

Marshallese: utilolõb

Pohnpeian: telunrik

Spanish: mimbra

Habit:  herb

Description:  "An erect, annual herbaceous, marshy, or aquatic plant, at times seen on drier land, to 3 m high, sometimes persisting and becoming woody at the base; stems nearly glabrous, green but may have reddish or purplish coloration, marked with striations, usually branched above, may appear 3- or 4-angled, young growth and inflorescence minutely pubescent; leaves lanceolate to linear lanceolate, narrowly cuneate at base, acute to acuminate at tip, may be white-green, up to 10 cm long, 1 to 3 cm wide, petiole short, midrib may be white-green, margin may be serrulate, glabrous or with few short hairs at base of leaf; flowers small, axillary, solitary, sessile; calyx a tube surrounding the inferior ovary, forming at the top 4 lanceolate, acuminate sepals, 2 to 4 mm long, pubescent; petals 4, yellow or white fading to orange-yellow, ovate to elliptic, a little larger than sepals; style and stigma simple, style pale greenish-yellow, stigma globose, stamens 8, in this species filaments of the epipetalous stamens are 0.5 to 1 mm long, those of the episepalous being 1 to 2 mm long; fruit a capsule, cylindrical, 4-celled, up to 3 cm long, l to 0.2 mm wide, pubescent, subsessile, somewhat enlarged at top; seeds of two types: those of the upper part of capsule numerous, several rows per locule, ovoid, about 0.5 mm long, free, more pale brown than lower seeds; in lower capsule 1 row per locule, about 0.75 mm long, brown, each imbedded in a corky disc.  This plant may be distinguished from L. adscendens and L. octovalvis by its unusual dimorphous seeds"  (Holm et al., 1997; p. 450).

"Annual herb to 1 (rarely 2-3) m tall, young growth and inflorescence minutely puberulent; leaves lanceolate, up to 9 cm long and 3 cm wide, acuminate, cuneate basally, lateral nerves 11-17 pairs; petiole up to 1.8 cm long; sepals 4, 2-4 mm long, lanceolate; petals 4, yellow, 2-3 mm long, elliptic; stamens 8, slightly unequal, 0.5-2 mm long (excl. anthers); fruit capsular, finely puberulent, 1.5-3 cm long, about 1 mm thick, subsessile; seeds of 2 kinds, those of lower section of capsule 0.7-0.85 mm long, those in upper section 0.35-0.5 mm long"  (Stone, 1970; p. 457).

Habitat/ecology:  "It is known to frequent pools, shallow ditches, and river edges.  It grows in rice and in fallow garden lands and wastelands in humid areas.  In Borneo, it prospers in clearings on both heavy clay and coarse white sand, as well as in pools in eucalyptus savannahs.  It has been found at 1000 m in old volcanic mudstreams on Java" (Holm et al., 1997; p. 452).

In Guam, "a weed of ditches, ponds, rice-fields, etc., up to 500 m altitude"  (Stone, 1970; p. 457).  In Fiji, "occurs locally at low elevations as a naturalized weed 0.5-1 m high, found along roadsides, in ricefields, and in other wet places" (Smith, 1985; p. 381).  "Occasional in taro crops, pastures and wet roadside ditches" (Whistler, 1988; p. 31). In New Guinea (native), "a plant of wet places; swamps and stream edges, roadside ditches; often a weed of pastures. Mostly from sea level to 700 m" (Henty & Pritchard, 1975; p. 129); "a plant of wet places; swamps and stream edges, roadsides or shallow water ditches.  In Papuasia, it is widespread in the lowlands and up to c. 3000 m altitude"  (Conn, 1995; p. 210).

Propagation:  Seed. "The lower seeds in the capsule, being provided with floats, may be water-dispersed" (Henty & Pritchard, 1975; p. 129).

Native range:  Africa, Asia and the Pacific (Stone, 1970; p. 457).  "The place of origin of this pantropical weed is uncertain; it is relatively local in Africa and the Cape Verde Islands, also occurring from Ceylon, India, and southern China throughout Malesia to Micronesia and northern Australia, with apparently recent populations in Fiji and Samoa." (Smith, 1985; p. 381)   Fosberg et al. (1979; p. 195) list as native to Micronesia.

Presence:

Pacific
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
American Samoa Tutuila Islands	Tutuila Island		Whistler, W. A. (1988) (p. 31) Voucher cited: Lamoureux 3052
Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (US) Northern Mariana Islands	Rota Island	native	Fosberg, F. R./Sachet, Marie-Hélène/Oliver, Royce (1979) (p. 195)
Federated States of Micronesia Chuuk Islands	Chuuk Islands		Swarbrick, John T. (1997) (p. 94)
Federated States of Micronesia Kosrae Island	Kosrae Island		Lorence, David H./Flynn, Tim (2005) (p. 19)
Federated States of Micronesia Pohnpei Islands	Pohnpei Island	native	Fosberg, F. R./Sachet, Marie-Hélène/Oliver, Royce (1979) (p. 195)
Federated States of Micronesia Pohnpei Islands	Pohnpei Island		Glassman, S. F. (1952) (p. 58) Voucher cited: Glassman 2915 (US)
Federated States of Micronesia Yap Islands	Yap (Waqab) Island	native	Fosberg, F. R./Sachet, Marie-Hélène/Oliver, Royce (1979) (p. 195)
Fiji Fiji Islands	Viti Levu Island	introduced invasive	Smith, Albert C. (1985) (p. 381) Vouchers cited: DA 10825, DA 10050, DA 6025, DA 11736, DA L.10508
French Polynesia Society Islands	Raiatea (Havai) Island		Fosberg, F. R. (1997) (p. 85)
French Polynesia Society Islands	Tahiti Island		Fosberg, F. R. (1997) (p. 85)
Guam Guam Island	Guam Island	introduced invasive	Stone, Benjamin C. (1970) (p. 457) Voucher cited: Rodin 819
Guam Guam Island	Guam Island	native	Fosberg, F. R./Sachet, Marie-Hélène/Oliver, Royce (1979) (p. 195)
Japan (offshore islands) Bonin (Ogasawara) Islands	Bonin (Ogasawara) Islands		Kato, Hidetoshi (2007)
Marshall Islands Ratak Chain	Likiep Atoll	native	Fosberg, F. R./Sachet, Marie-Hélène/Oliver, Royce (1979) (p. 195)
Palau Palau (main island group)	Angaur Island	native	Fosberg, F. R./Sachet, Marie-Hélène/Oliver, Royce (1979) (p. 195)
Palau Palau (main island group)	Babeldaob Island	native	Fosberg, F. R./Sachet, Marie-Hélène/Oliver, Royce (1979) (p. 195)
Palau Palau (main island group)	Babeldaob Island	native	Space, James C./Waterhouse, Barbara/Miles, Joel E./Tiobech, Joseph/Rengulbai, Kashgar (2003) (p. 101)
Palau Palau (main island group)	Koror Island	native	Space, James C./Waterhouse, Barbara/Miles, Joel E./Tiobech, Joseph/Rengulbai, Kashgar (2003) (p. 98)
Palau Palau (main island group)	Malakal Island	native	Space, James C./Waterhouse, Barbara/Miles, Joel E./Tiobech, Joseph/Rengulbai, Kashgar (2003) (p. 98)
Palau Palau (main island group)	Ngerkebesang Island	native	Space, James C./Waterhouse, Barbara/Miles, Joel E./Tiobech, Joseph/Rengulbai, Kashgar (2003) (p. 98)
Papua New Guinea Papua New Guinea (eastern New Guinea Island)	Papua New Guinea (eastern New Guinea Island)		Henty, E. E./Pritchard, G. H. (1975) (p. 129)
Papua New Guinea Papua New Guinea (eastern New Guinea Island)	Papua New Guinea (eastern New Guinea Island)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2007)
Papua New Guinea Papua New Guinea (eastern New Guinea Island)	Papua New Guinea (eastern New Guinea Island)	native	Conn, Barry J., ed. (1995) (pp. 209-210)
Philippines Philippine Islands	Philippine Islands	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2007)
Samoa Western Samoa Islands	Upolu Island	introduced invasive	Smith, Albert C. (1985) (p. 381)
Samoa Western Samoa Islands	Upolu Island		Whistler, W. A. (1988) (p. 31) Voucher cited: Parham 9018
Samoa Western Samoa Islands	Upolu Island	introduced invasive	Space, James C./Flynn, Tim (2002) (p. Field notes.)
Solomon Islands Solomon Islands	Solomon Islands		Swarbrick, John T. (1997) (p. 94)

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)	Northern Territory	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2007)
Australia Australia (continental)	Queensland	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2007)
Cambodia Cambodia	Cambodia (Kingdom of)		Waterhouse, D. F. (1993) (pp. 66, 78)
China China	China (People's Republic of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2007)
Colombia Colombia	Colombia (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)
Honduras Honduras	Honduras (Republic of)		Holm, Leroy/Pancho, Juan V./Herberger, James P./Plucknett, Donald L. (1979) (p. 221)
Indonesia Indonesia	Indonesia (Republic of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2007)
Japan Japan	Japan (country)		Holm, Leroy/Doll, Jerry/Holm, Eric/Pancho, Jaun/Herberger, James (1997) (p. 450)
Malaysia Malaysia	Malaysia (country of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2007)
Mexico Mexico	Mexico (United Mexican States)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2007)
Negara Brunei Darussalam Brunei	Brunei (Negara Brunei Darussalam)		Waterhouse, D. F. (1993) (pp. 66, 78)
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)
Singapore Singapore	Singapore (Republic of)		Waterhouse, D. F. (1993) (pp. 66, 78)
Taiwan Taiwan	Taiwan Island	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2007)
Thailand Thailand	Thailand (Kingdom of)		Waterhouse, D. F. (1993) (pp. 66, 78)
Vietnam Vietnam	Vietnam (Socialist Republic of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2007)

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	Orchard, Anthony E., ed. (1993) (p. 19)

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

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

References:

Conn, Barry J., ed. 1995. Handbooks of the flora of Papua New Guinea, vol. 3. Melbourne University Press, Melbourne. 292 pp.

Fosberg, F. R. 1997. Preliminary checklist of the flowering plants and ferns of the Society Islands. Ed. by David R. Stoddart. U. Cal. Berkeley.

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/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.

Kato, Hidetoshi. 2007. Herbarium records of Makino Herbarium, Tokyo Metropolitan University. Personal communication.

Lorence, David H./Flynn, Tim. 1998. Checklist of the plants of Pohnpei. Unpublished checklist. National Tropical Botanical Garden, Lawai, Hawai‘i. 21 pp.

Lorence, David H./Flynn, Tim. 2005. Checklist of the plants of Kosrae. Unpublished checklist. National Tropical Botanical Garden, Lawai, Hawai‘i. 23 pp.

Orchard, Anthony E., ed. 1993. Flora of Australia. Vol. 50, Oceanic islands 2. Australian Government Publishing Service, Canberra.

Parham, J. W. 1972. Plants of the Fiji Islands. Revised edition. Government Printer, Suva. 462 pp.

Smith, Albert C. 1985. Flora Vitiensis nova: a new flora of Fiji. National Tropical Botanical Garden, Lawai, Kauai, Hawaii. Volume 3. 758 pp.

Space, James C./Flynn, Tim. 2002. Report to the Government of Samoa on invasive plant species of environmental concern. USDA Forest Service, Honolulu. 83 pp.

Space, James C./Waterhouse, Barbara/Miles, Joel E./Tiobech, Joseph/Rengulbai, Kashgar. 2003. Report to the Republic of Palau on invasive plant species of environmental concern. USDA Forest Service, Honolulu. 174 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.

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

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

Waterhouse, D. F. 1993. The major invertebrate pests and weeds of agriculture in Southeast Asia. The Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research, Canberra. 141 pp.

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