Ruellia prostrata Poir., Acanthaceae

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Present on Pacific Islands?  yes

Threat only at high elevations?  no

Other Latin names:  Dipteracanthus prostrata (Poir.) Nees

Common name(s): [more details]

English: bell weed, black weed

Maori (Cook Islands): mapua, tītā ‘aruru

Samoan: vao uli, vao uli

Habit:  herb

Description:  "Prostrate perennial herbs; stems often rooting at the nodes. Leaves green, lower surface conspicuously paler, ovate, 2-10 cm long, (0.9-) 1.5-4.5 cm wide, sparsely strigose, especially on upper surface, petioles 5-30 mm long. Flowers solitary in the leaf axils, each one subtended by oblanceolate to ovate bracts 15-23 mm long; calyx lobes 5, linear, 6-10 mm long; corolla violet blue to occasionally nearly white, 2.4-3.2 cm long, the lobes slightly spreading. Capsules clavate, 1.5-2 cm long, densely puberulent" (Wagner et al., 1999; p. 174).

Habitat/ecology:  A weed in disturbed areas. "Common to abundant in disturbed places, pastures, and under crops such as coconut and cacao" (Whistler, 1983; p. 18).

Propagation:  Seed and from rooting at nodes (Whistler, 1983; p. 18).

Native range:  Java.

Presence:

Pacific
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
Cook Islands Southern Cook Islands	Aitutaki Atoll		McCormack, Gerald (2007)
Cook Islands Southern Cook Islands	Aitutaki Atoll	introduced invasive	Space, James C./Flynn, Tim (2002) (p. 76)
Cook Islands Southern Cook Islands	‘Atiu Island		McCormack, Gerald (2007)
Cook Islands Southern Cook Islands	‘Atiu Island	introduced invasive	Space, James C./Flynn, Tim (2002) (p. 82)
Cook Islands Southern Cook Islands	‘Atiu Island		Bishop Museum (Honolulu) (1991) (voucher ID: BISH 664873) Taxon name on voucher: Ruellia prostrata Poir.
Cook Islands Southern Cook Islands	Mangaia Island		McCormack, Gerald (2007)
Cook Islands Southern Cook Islands	Mangaia Island	introduced invasive	Space, James C./Flynn, Tim (2002) (p. 88)
Cook Islands Southern Cook Islands	Ma‘uke Island		McCormack, Gerald (2007)
Cook Islands Southern Cook Islands	Ma‘uke Island	introduced invasive	Space, James C./Flynn, Tim (2002) (p. 94)
Cook Islands Southern Cook Islands	Miti‘aro Island		McCormack, Gerald (2007)
Cook Islands Southern Cook Islands	Miti‘aro Island	introduced invasive	Space, James C./Flynn, Tim (2002) (p. 99)
Cook Islands Southern Cook Islands	Rarotonga Island		McCormack, Gerald (2007)
Federated States of Micronesia Kosrae Island	Kosrae Island	introduced invasive	Josekutty, P. C./Wakuk, E. E./Joseph, M. J. (2002) (p. 63)
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	Maui Island	introduced invasive	Oppenheimer, Hank L. (2003) (p. 4) West Maui. Vouchers cited: Oppenheimer H50110 (BISH, PTBG), Oppenheimer H120107 (BISH, PTBG)
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	Moloka‘i Island	introduced invasive	Oppenheimer, Hank L. (2003) (p. 4) Voucher cited: Oppenheimer H110137 (BISH, PTBG)
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	O‘ahu Island	introduced invasive	Wagner, Warren L./Herbst, Derral R./Sohmer, S. H. (1999) (p. 174)
Niue Niue	Niue Island	introduced	Whistler, W. A. (1988) (p. 5) Voucher cited: Sykes 1384
Niue Niue	Niue Island	introduced invasive	Whistler, W. A./Atherton, J. (1997) (p. 24)
Niue Niue	Niue Island	introduced invasive	Space, James C./Waterhouse, Barbara M./Newfield, Melanie/Bull, Cate (2004) (p. 46)
Samoa Western Samoa Islands	Savai‘i Island	introduced invasive	Space, James C./Flynn, Tim (2002) (p. 71)
Samoa Western Samoa Islands	Upolu Island	introduced invasive	Space, James C./Flynn, Tim (2002) (p. 68)
Samoa Western Samoa Islands	Upolu Island		Bishop Museum (Honolulu) (1975) (voucher ID: BISH 418003) Taxon name on voucher: Ruellia prostrata Poir.
Vanuatu New Hebrides Islands	Vanuatu (Republic of)		Swarbrick, John T. (1997) (p. 96)
Wallis and Futuna Wallis and Futuna (Horne) Islands	Uvea Island		Bishop Museum (Honolulu) (1968) (voucher ID: BISH 36632) Taxon name on voucher: Ruellia prostrata Poir.
Wallis and Futuna Wallis and Futuna (Horne) Islands	Wallis and Futuna Islands		Whistler, W. A. (1988) (p. 5)

Pacific Rim
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
Indonesia Indonesia	Indonesia (Republic of)	native	Wagner, Warren L./Herbst, Derral R./Sohmer, S. H. (1999) (p. 174)

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	native	Orchard, Anthony E., ed. (1993) (p. 16)

Comments:  A common weed of roadsides and disturbed places in Samoa.

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

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

References:

Bishop Museum (Honolulu). 1968. Voucher specimen #BISH 36632 (Mackee, M. 19919).

Bishop Museum (Honolulu). 1975. Voucher specimen #BISH 418003 (Whistler, W.A. W 2100).

Bishop Museum (Honolulu). 1991. Voucher specimen #BISH 664873 (Sykes, W.R. 3893).

Josekutty, P. C./Wakuk, E. E./Joseph, M. J. 2002. Invasive/weedy angiosperms in Kosrae, Federated States of Micronesia. In: Invasive species and their management. Micronesica Suppl. 6:61-65.

McCormack, Gerald. 2007. Cook Islands biodiversity and natural heritage. On-line database.

Oppenheimer, Hank L. 2003. New plant records from Maui and Hawai‘i Counties. In: Evenhuis, Neal L. and Eldredge, Lucius G., eds. Records of the Hawaii Biological Survey for 2001-2002. Part 1: Articles. Bishop Museum Occasional Papers. 73:3-30.

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

Space, James C./Flynn, Tim. 2002. Report to the Government of the Cook Islands on invasive plant species of environmental concern. USDA Forest Service, Honolulu. 146 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 M./Newfield, Melanie/Bull, Cate. 2004. Report to the Government of Niue and the United Nations Development Programme: Invasive plant species on Niue following Cyclone Heta. UNDP NIU/98/G31 - Niue Enabling Activity. 80 pp.

Swarbrick, John T. 1997. Weeds of the Pacific Islands. Technical paper no. 209. South Pacific Commission, Noumea, New Caledonia. 124 pp.

Wagner, Warren L./Herbst, Derral R./Sohmer, S. H. 1999. Manual of the flowering plants of Hawaii. Revised edition. Bernice P. Bishop Museum special publication. University of Hawai‘i Press/Bishop Museum Press, Honolulu. 1919 pp. (two volumes).

Whistler, W. A. 1983. Weed Handbook of Western Polynesia. Deutsche Gesellschaft für Technische Zusammenarbeit (GTZ) GmbH, Eschborn. 151 pp.

Whistler, W. A. 1984. Annotated list of Samoan plant names. Economic Botany 38:464.489.

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

Whistler, W. A./Atherton, J. 1997. Botanical survey of the Huvalu Forest Conservation Area, Niue. Unpublished technical report. 76 pp.