Rotala indica (Willd.) Koehne, Lythraceae

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Present on Pacific Islands?  no

Primarily a threat at high elevations?  no

Other Latin names:  Peplis indica Willd.

Common name(s): [more details]

English: Indian toothcup

Habit:  aquatic herb

Description:  "Terrestrial or aquatic annual herb.  Stems quadrangular, erect or creeping, 10-40 cm long.  Leaves opposite, oblong to ovate, 4-15 mm long, 3-5 mm wide, sessile or shortly petiolate.  Flowers axillary, solitary or in short dense spikes, subtended by linear leafy bracts.  Calyx 2-3 mm long, tubular with 4 triangular lobes.  Petals 4, pinkish or white, tiny and inconspicuous.  Stamens 2-6, attached deep in calyx tube.  Fruit a 2-valved elliptic capsule, 1.5 mm - 0.8 mm, containing numerous tiny, pear-shaped seeds."  (Waterhouse & Mitchell, 1998; pp. 51-52).

Habitat/ecology:  "Wet areas such as rice fields, river banks, ditches, and waterlogged grasslands. 0-1000 m altitude." (Waterhouse & Mitchell, 1998; pp. 51-52).

Propagation:  "Seeds and plant fragments dispersed by water and externally attached to waterbirds" (Waterhouse & Mitchell, 1998; pp. 51-52).

Native range:  Asia (Waterhouse & Mitchell, 1998; pp. 51-52).

Presence:

Pacific
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
Philippines Philippine Islands	Philippine Islands		Waterhouse, B. M./Mitchell, A. A. (1998) (p. 52)

Pacific Rim
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
Cambodia Cambodia	Cambodia (Kingdom of)		Waterhouse, B. M./Mitchell, A. A. (1998) (p. 52)
China China	China (People's Republic of)		Holm, Leroy/Pancho, Juan V./Herberger, James P./Plucknett, Donald L. (1979) (p. 311)
Indonesia Indonesia	Indonesia (Republic of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2009)
Japan Japan	Japan (country)		Holm, Leroy/Pancho, Juan V./Herberger, James P./Plucknett, Donald L. (1979) (p. 311)
South Korea South Korea	South Korea (Republic of)		Holm, Leroy/Pancho, Juan V./Herberger, James P./Plucknett, Donald L. (1979) (p. 311)
Malaysia Malaysia	Malaysia (country of)		Waterhouse, B. M./Mitchell, A. A. (1998) (p. 52)
Malaysia Malaysia	Malaysia (country of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2009)
Taiwan Taiwan	Taiwan Island		Holm, Leroy/Pancho, Juan V./Herberger, James P./Plucknett, Donald L. (1979) (p. 311)
Thailand Thailand	Thailand (Kingdom of)		Waterhouse, B. M./Mitchell, A. A. (1998) (p. 52)
Vietnam Vietnam	Vietnam (Socialist Republic of)		Waterhouse, B. M./Mitchell, A. A. (1998) (p. 52)

Comments:  "Serious weed of rice in Afghanistan, Japan, Korea, Philippines, Taiwan. Troublesome in the USA." (Waterhouse & Mitchell, 1998; pp. 51-52).

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

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

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

Other Latin names:  Peplis indica Willd.

References:

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.

U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. 2009. National Genetic Resources Program. Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN). Online searchable database.

U.S. Dept. Agr., Nat. Res. Cons. Serv. 2009. The PLANTS Database. National Plant Data Center, Baton Rouge, LA 70874-4490 USA.

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.