Rubiaceae
Spermacoce

Spermacoce latifolia Aubl.

First published in Hist. Pl. Guiane: 55 (1775)
This species is accepted
The native range of this species is Mexico to Tropical America. It is a subshrub or shrub and grows primarily in the seasonally dry tropical biome. It is used as a medicine.

Descriptions

Rubiaceae, B. Verdcourt. Flora of Tropical East Africa. 1976

Morphology General Habit
Straggling or prostrate annual herb 10–60 cm. long with bright pale yellow green stems and foliage; stems branched or unbranched, square with angles slightly to distinctly winged, glabrous or with sparse to fairly dense short hairs on the angles or stems hairy all over.
Morphology Leaves
Leaf-blades often red margined, elliptic, 1.2–5 cm. long, 0.8–2.9 cm. wide, acute at the apex, cuneate at the base, pubescent or ± scabrid above with tubercle-based hairs, pubescent beneath or almost glabrescent all over save for the scabrid margins; petiole 0.5–3 mm. long; stipule-sheath 1.5 mm. long, with 5–9 setae 1.5–3.5 mm. long.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
Flowers in axillary clusters ± 8 mm. wide.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx
Calyx-tube pubescent, obconic, 2.5 mm. long; lobes 4, oblong to lanceolate, 1.2–2 mm. long.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla
Corolla whitish, blue or pink; tube funnel-shaped, 5 mm. long; lobes ovate-triangular, 1.5 mm. long and wide.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Androecium Stamens Filaments
Filaments exserted ± 1 mm.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Gynoecium Pistil
Style exserted 2 mm.; stigma-lobes linear, 1 mm. long.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Capsule ellipsoid or subglobose, 2.5–3 mm. long, wrinkled, hairy.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds
Seeds yellow brown, ellipsoid, 2–2.8 mm. long, 1.3–1.7 mm. wide, 0.8–1 mm. thick, reticulate-rugulose, with a deep wide ventral excavation.
Figures
Fig. 50/22, p. 342.
Habitat
Grassland; 1140 m.
Distribution
U4 Sierra Leone, Liberia, Ivory Coast and Ghanaa native of S. America from Central America to Bolivia and West Indies but now a common casual in many parts of the world including India, Ceylon, Nepal, Malay Peninsula, Java and Australia
[FTEA]

Bernal, R., Gradstein, S.R. & Celis, M. (eds.). 2015. Catálogo de plantas y líquenes de Colombia. Instituto de Ciencias Naturales, Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Bogotá. http://catalogoplantasdecolombia.unal.edu.co

Distribution
Nativa en Colombia; Alt. 50 - 1600 m.; Amazonia, Andes, Orinoquia, Pacífico, Valle del Magdalena.
Morphology General Habit
Hierba, subarbusto
Conservation
No Evaluada
[CPLC]

Distribution
Biogeografic region: Amazonia, Andean, Orinoquia, Pacific. Elevation range: 50–1600 m a.s.l. Native to Colombia. Colombian departments: Amazonas, Antioquia, Caquetá, Chocó, Guainía, Meta, Vaupés, Vichada.
Habit
Herb, Subshrub.
[UPFC]

Bernal, R., G. Galeano, A. Rodríguez, H. Sarmiento y M. Gutiérrez. 2017. Nombres Comunes de las Plantas de Colombia. http://www.biovirtual.unal.edu.co/nombrescomunes/

Vernacular
botoncillo, chupana, fruta de culebra, golondrina, manea blanca
[UNAL]

Extinction risk predictions for the world's flowering plants to support their conservation (2024). Bachman, S.P., Brown, M.J.M., Leão, T.C.C., Lughadha, E.N., Walker, B.E. https://nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/nph.19592

Conservation
Predicted extinction risk: not threatened. Confidence: confident
[AERP]

Vernacular
Botoncillo, Golondrina, Manea blanca, Menea blanca, Totecito
[UPFC]

Uses

Use Medicines
Medical uses.
[UPFC]

Sources

  • Angiosperm Extinction Risk Predictions v1

    • Angiosperm Threat Predictions
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

  • Catálogo de Plantas y Líquenes de Colombia

    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • Flora of Tropical East Africa

    • Flora of Tropical East Africa
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • Herbarium Catalogue Specimens

    • Digital Image © Board of Trustees, RBG Kew http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

  • Kew Backbone Distributions

    • The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants 2024. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and https://powo.science.kew.org/
    • © Copyright 2023 World Checklist of Vascular Plants. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0

  • Kew Names and Taxonomic Backbone

    • The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants 2024. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and https://powo.science.kew.org/
    • © Copyright 2023 International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0

  • Kew Science Photographs

    • Copyright applied to individual images

  • Universidad Nacional de Colombia

    • ColPlantA database
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • Useful Plants and Fungi of Colombia

    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0