Code
IUSAB
Growth form
Broadleaf
Biological cycle
Annual / Perennial
Habitat
Marshland
Ludwigia abyssinica A. Rich.
synonym | Jussiaea abyssinica (A. Rich.) Dandy & Brenan |
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Other |
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Global description
Ludwigia abyssinica is an erect, bushy plant that grows up to 2 m. It is an entirely hairless plant with a color ranging from green to red. The angular stem is very branched. The leaves are simple and alternate, lanceolate, fairly wide. They have a decurrent base along the stem. The flowers are axillary, solitary or in small groups. They consist of a long, inferior ovary surmounted by 4 (5) persistent sepals and 4 (5) yellow deciduous petals. The fruit is a linear capsule that contains many tiny seeds arranged in a single row.
General habit
Annual to perennial (pluri-annual) plant, erect, very branched, woody at the base, forming a small bush with an elliptical profile, measuring 1 to 2 m in height. The color of this species varies from green to red.
Underground system
The root is a taproot.
Stem
The stem is glabrous, smooth and hollow. It presents a polygonal section, generally with 5 faces, with rather marked angles because of the decurrent base of the petioles. The branches, reddish, are angular, especially when they are young, fleshy and hollow.
Leaf
The leaves are simple and alternate. They present at their base triangular stipules tiny and not very visible. The petiole which is often poorly differentiated can measure up to 3 cm long, decurrently based along the stem. The blade is lanceolate, with a narrowed base (decurrent along the petiole) and at the end with a sharp mucronate corner at the apex. It is 3 to 12 cm long and 1 to 4 cm wide. The margin is entire. It has a slight thickening of purplish color with a very short pubescence. The limb is traversed by numerous lateral veins ascending, parallel and curved. The blade is entirely hairless on both sides except for a few short hairs on the veins of the leaves. It is light green on the upper face, a little glaucous on the underside.
Inflorescence
The flowers grouped into small cymes or solitary, are located in the axil of the leaves.
Flower
The very short peduncle flower (1-3 mm) is composed of 4 (5) sepals and 4 (5) petals, located atop a linear ovary. The acute triangular sepals are 1.75 to 3 mm long. They are persistent. The oval-elliptical petals are 1.5 to 3.5 mm long. They are a beautiful pale yellow. The stamens are 4 (5). The style ends with a hemispheric stigma.
Fruit
The fruit is a capsule with 4 boxes. It is linear arched erect, ribbed, with bumpy faces. It is 1 to 2 cm long and 1 to 3 mm in diameter. It contains many small seeds arranged in a single row per box.
Seed
The ellipsoid to ovoid seed has a narrow longitudinal bead that extends from the base to the apiculated apex. It is 0.5 to 0.8 mm long. It is tawny with red-brown longitudinal lines.
Attributions | |
Contributors | |
Status | UNDER_CREATION |
Licenses | CC_BY |
References |
Mayotte: Ludwigia abyssinica flowers and fruits all year round.
Attributions | Wiktrop |
Contributors | |
Status | UNDER_CREATION |
Licenses | CC_BY |
References |
Growth habit | Hairiness | Stem | Species |
creeping plant (Floating plant, aquatic) | glabrous (green to red) | cylindrical | L. adscendens |
prostrate then erect (terrestrial plant) | glabrous (green to red) | L. abyssinica |
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erect (terrestrial plant) | glabrous (green) | cylindrical at base then angulose | L. erecta |
erect (terrestrial plant) | glabrous (dark green to purple) | angulose subwinged | L. hyssopifolia |
erect (terrestrial plant) | pubescent to subglabrous (stem and leaves) | slightly angulose then cylindrical | L. octovalvis |
5-6 petals | L. leptocarpa | |
5 petals | L. adscendens | |
4 (5) petals | L. abyssinica | |
4 petals | small petal (2-3 mm) | L. hyssopifolia |
medium petal (5 mm) | L. erecta | |
large petal (10 to 15 mm) | L. octovalvis |
Criteria to distinguish several Ludwigia species
Pod shape | Number of petals | Petal size | Petal shape | Species |
Tetragonal | 4 | 3.5-5 mm | obovate | L. erecta |
Cylindrical ribbed | 4 (5) | 1.5-3.5 mm | obovate, elliptical | L. abyssinica |
Cylindrical | 5-6 | 5-13 mm | obovate | L. leptocarpa |
Cylindrical | 4 | 2-3 mm | elliptical, apex cunate | L. hyssopifolia |
Cylindrical | 4 | 5-16 mm | obotele, apex emarginate | L. octovalvis |
Attributions | Wiktrop |
Contributors | |
Status | UNDER_CREATION |
Licenses | CC_BY |
References |
Ludwigia abyssinica grows in swampy areas with low but prolonged submersion and in lowland rice paddies.
Mayotte: Ludwigia abyssinica is a fairly common native species on the margins of natural wetlands, in hydromorphic areas, on stream banks and in secondarized habitats such as urban ditches and pastures.
Attributions | Wiktrop |
Contributors | |
Status | UNDER_CREATION |
Licenses | CC_BY |
References |
Origin
Ludwigia abyssinica is native to Africa
Worldwide distribution
Ludwigia abyssinica occurs in tropical Africa from Senegal and Ethiopia to Angola and Madagascar.
Attributions | |
Contributors | |
Status | UNDER_CREATION |
Licenses | CC_BY |
References |
Local harmfulness
Benin: Ludwigia abyssinica is a rare but abundant weed when it is present in paddy fields.
Burkina Faso: frequent and scanty.
Ivory Coast: rare but abundant when it is present.
Ghana: frequent and generally abundant.
Mali: frequent and scanty.
Nigeria: frequent and scanty.
Senegal: frequent and generally abundant.
Tanzania: rare and scanty.
Chad: frequent and scanty.
Attributions | |
Contributors | |
Status | UNDER_CREATION |
Licenses | CC_BY |
References |
Attributions | |
Contributors | |
Status | UNDER_CREATION |
Licenses | CC_BY |
References |
Attributions | |
Contributors | |
Status | UNDER_CREATION |
Licenses | CC_BY |
References |
- Aubréville, A., Mult., C. 1966. Flore du Cameroun. Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, Paris, France.
- Merlier, H., Montégut, J. 1982. Adventices tropicales. ORSTOM-GERDAT-ENSH, Montpellier, France.
- Johnson, D.E. 1997. Les adventices en riziculture en Afrique de l'Ouest. ADRAO/WARDA, Bouaké, Côte-d'Ivoire.
- Okezie Akobundu, I. et Agyakwa, C.W. 1989. Guide des adventices d'Afrique de l'Ouest. Institut international d'agriculture tropicale, Ibadan, Nigeria.
- Hutchinson, J., Dalziel, J.M., Keay, R.W.J., Hepper, F.N. 1954. Flora of west tropical africa. The Whitefriars Press, London & Tonbridge, Great Britain.
- Grard, P., T. Le Bourgeois, J. Rodenburg, P. Marnotte, A. Carrara, R. Irakiza, D. Makokha, G. kyalo, K. Aloys, K. Iswaria, N. Nguyen and G. Tzelepoglou (2012). AFROweeds V.1.0: African weeds of rice Montpellier, France & Cotonou, Bénin, Cirad-AfricaRice eds
- Barthelat, F. 2019. La Flore illustrée de Mayotte. Meze, Paris, France, Collection Inventaires et Biodiversité, Biotope – Muséum national d’Histoire naturelle. 687 p.
- Aubréville, A., Mult., C. 1966. Flore du Cameroun. Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, Paris, France.
- Merlier, H., Montégut, J. 1982. Adventices tropicales. ORSTOM-GERDAT-ENSH, Montpellier, France.
- Johnson, D.E. 1997. Les adventices en riziculture en Afrique de l'Ouest. ADRAO/WARDA, Bouaké, Côte-d'Ivoire.
- Okezie Akobundu, I. et Agyakwa, C.W. 1989. Guide des adventices d'Afrique de l'Ouest. Institut international d'agriculture tropicale, Ibadan, Nigeria.
- Hutchinson, J., Dalziel, J.M., Keay, R.W.J., Hepper, F.N. 1954. Flora of west tropical africa. The Whitefriars Press, London & Tonbridge, Great Britain.
- Grard, P., T. Le Bourgeois, J. Rodenburg, P. Marnotte, A. Carrara, R. Irakiza, D. Makokha, G. kyalo, K. Aloys, K. Iswaria, N. Nguyen and G. Tzelepoglou (2012). AFROweeds V.1.0: African weeds of rice Montpellier, France & Cotonou, Bénin, Cirad-AfricaRice eds
- Barthelat, F. 2019. La Flore illustrée de Mayotte. Meze, Paris, France, Collection Inventaires et Biodiversité, Biotope – Muséum national d’Histoire naturelle. 687 p.
Images d'herbiers ReCOLNAT : https://explore.recolnat.org/search/botanique/simplequery=Ludwigia%2520abyssinica
Attributions | |
Contributors | |
Status | UNDER_CREATION |
Licenses | CC_BY |
References |
Root | Root |
Kingdom | Plantae |
Phylum | Tracheophyta |
Class | Magnoliopsida |
Order | Myrtales |
Family | Onagraceae |
Genus | Ludwigia |
Species | Ludwigia abyssinica A. Rich. |