Ludwigia lanceolata

Ludwigia lanceolata
Photo by Shirley Denton (Copyrighted, use by photographer’s permission only), Nature Photography by Shirley Denton
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Division:	Magnoliophyta - Flowering plants
Class:	Magnoliopsida – Dicotyledons
Order:	Myrtales
Family:	Onagraceae
Genus:	Ludwigia
Species:	L. lanceolata
Binomial name
Ludwigia lanceolata Elliott
Natural range of Ludwigia lanceolata from USDA NRCS Plants Database.

Common name: lanceleaf primrose-willow

Taxonomic notes

The genus Ludwigia was established by Carl Linnaeus in 1753 and the species was recognized by Steven Elliot (Ching 1989).

Description

“Repent or erect, usually branched, short-lived perennials, or rarely annual. Floral parts in 4-7’s; hypanthium not prolonged beyond ovary. Capsules longitudinally or poricidally multiseriate, rarely uniseriate. Most of the erect species produce basal offshoots, which have ovate to obovate leaves, in the late summer and fall. Bracteoles occur in pairs on the pedicel or stipe or on the base of the hypanthium.” – Radford et al 1964

"Similar to L. alata. Seeds cylindric; sepals ca. ½ length of capsules; capsules 4-6 mm long." - Radford et al 1964

Distribution

Occurs along the Atlantic coast of southern North Carolina, South Carolina, eastern and southern Georgia, and the Florida peninsula, and extends west to the central panhandle of Florida (Ching 1989).

Ecology

Habitat

Habitats of L. lanceolata include depression marshes, hillside seepages, shallow water of titi-cattail ponds, pine flatwoods, lake edges, between coastal dunes and lakes, and cypress pond pine swamps. It occurs in disturbed areas such as powerline corridors and ditches. Associated species include Bidens laevis, Magnolia, Nyssa, Pickneya, Liquidambar, Quercus, Ludwigia linearis, Juncus trigonocarpus, Fuirena scirpoidea, Xyris fimbriata, Woodwardia, Ludwigia octovalvis, L. decurrens, Rhynchospora chalarocephala, Xyris fimbriata, Bidens mitis, Hypericum cistifolium, Typha, and Juncus repens (FSU Herbarium).

Phenology

Fruits and flowers June through November (FSU Herbarium).

This is a self-compatible perennial that reproduces sexually and vegetatively. Produces hybrids with L. pilosa and L. suffruticosa (Ching 1989).

Pollination

The following Hymenoptera families and species were observed visiting flowers of Ludwigia lanceolata at Archbold Biological Station (Deyrup 2015):

Vespidae: Parancistrocerus salcularis rufulus

Conservation and Management

Global status: G3

Global status last reviewed: March 6, 1998 .

References and notes

Ching, I. P. (1989). "The Systematics and Evolution of Ludwigia Sect. Microcarpium (Onagraceae)." Annals of the Missouri Botanical Garden 76(1): 221-302.

Deyrup, M.A. and N.D. 2015. Database of observations of Hymenoptera visitations to flowers of plants on Archbold Biological Station, Florida, USA.

Florida State University Robert K. Godfrey Herbarium database. URL: http://herbarium.bio.fsu.edu. Last accessed: October 2015. Collectors: C. Anderson, Robert K. Godfrey, Richard D. Houk, R. Kral, Grady W. Reinert. States and Counties: Florida: Clay, Franklin, Madison, Nassau, Osceola, Santa Rosa, St. Johns, St. Lucie, Taylor, Wakulla, Walton. Compiled by Tall Timbers Research Station and Land Conservancy.

Radford, Albert E., Harry E. Ahles, and C. Ritchie Bell. Manual of the Vascular Flora of the Carolinas. 1964, 1968. The University of North Carolina Press. 744-9. Print.