Ludwigia grandiflora, the water primrose, is an aquatic plant of the order Myrtales.[2]

Ludwigia grandiflora
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Myrtales
Family: Onagraceae
Genus: Ludwigia
Species:
L. grandiflora
Binomial name
Ludwigia grandiflora
Synonyms[1]
List
    • Adenola grandiflora (Michx.) Raf.
    • Jussiaea grandiflora Michx.
    • Jussiaea grandiflora f. natans Glück
    • Jussiaea grandiflora f. semiserrata Glück
    • Jussiaea grandiflora f. terrestris Glück
    • Jussiaea michauxiana Fernald
    • Jussiaea repens subsp. grandiflora (Michx.) P.Fourn.
    • Jussiaea repens var. grandiflora (Michx.) Micheli
    • Jussiaea repens var. grandiflora Micheli
    • Jussiaea repens var. hispida Hauman
    • Jussiaea repens f. intermedia Hassl.
    • Jussiaea repens var. major Hassl.
    • Jussiaea repens var. uruguayensis Hassl.
    • Jussiaea uruguayensis Cambess.
    • Jussiaea uruguayensis var. genuina Munz
    • Jussiaea uruguayensis f. major (Hassl.) Munz
    • Ludwigia clavellina var. grandiflora (Michx.) M.Gómez
    • Ludwigia uruguayensis (Cambess.) H.Hara
    • Ludwigia uruguayensis var. major (Hassl.) Munz

It is closely related and easily confused with Ludwigia hexapetala.[3] The two species can be distinguished at a chromosomal level, because L. grandiflora is hexaploid and L. hexapetala is decaploid.[4] However, they can be distinguished morphologically. L. grandiflora has villous hairs, smaller flowers and smaller pollen grains.[4] Some authorities consider that these differences are too slight to consider these different species and so separate these taxa as two varieties or two subspecies.[5][6]

Invasive species edit

Ludwigia grandiflora has been listed on the List of Invasive Alien Species of Union concern since 2016[7] and in the United States it is on the South Carolina State-listed Noxious Weed list.[8] It out-competes other plants by forming dense mats at the margins and in ponds.[9] It is introduced to warm temperate areas of North America, Japan and Europe and has formed large stable populations, particularly in France.[10]

 
Ludwigia grandiflora found in the Lower Hillsborough River Wilderness Preserve in Florida.

Life history edit

Ludwigia grandiflora can, and does, produce viable seed, but it is also highly effective at vegetative reproduction and apparently recruitment of new plants from seed is low.[11] The large showy flowers attract a wide variety of insects. A study in Belgium, where L. grandiflora is introduced, showed that the flowers are visited by a wide variety of insects including bees, Lepidoptera, beetles and hoverflies.[12]

References edit

  1. ^ "Ludwigia grandiflora (Michx.) Greuter & Burdet". Plants of the World Online. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Retrieved 20 July 2023.
  2. ^ "The Plant List: A Working List of All Plant Species". The Plant List. Archived from the original on 27 January 2020. Retrieved 27 January 2020.
  3. ^ Jacono, Colette. "Identification of common aquatic water-primrose species, Ludwigia, in Florida" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on 2020-01-31. Retrieved 2020-01-27.
  4. ^ a b Zardini, Elsa M.; Gu, Hongya; Raven, Peter H. (1991). "On the separation of two species within the Ludwigia uruguayensis complex (Onagraceae)". Systematic Botany. 16 (2): 242. doi:10.2307/2419276. JSTOR 2419276.
  5. ^ Ward, Daniel Bertram (2012). "New combinations in the Florida Flora III". Phytologia. 94 (3): 459–485. Archived from the original on 2020-01-28. Retrieved 2020-01-28 – via Biodiversity Heritage Library.
  6. ^ Nesom, Guy; Kartesz, John (2000). "Observations on the Ludwigia uruguayensis complex (Onagraceae) in the United States". Castanea. 65 (2): 123–125. JSTOR 4034110.
  7. ^ "List of Invasive Alien Species of Union concern - Environment - European Commission". ec.europa.eu. Archived from the original on 2019-12-30. Retrieved 2020-01-27.
  8. ^ "South Carolina State Noxious Weeds List | USDA PLANTS". plants.usda.gov. Archived from the original on 2020-09-19. Retrieved 2020-01-28.
  9. ^ "Ludwigia grandiflora - Bugwoodwiki". wiki.bugwood.org. Archived from the original on 2020-01-28. Retrieved 2020-01-28.
  10. ^ Dandelot, Sophie; Verlaque, Régine; Dutartre, Alain; Cazaubon, Arlette (2005). "Ecological, dynamic and taxonomic problems due to Ludwigia (Onagraceae) in France". Hydrobiologia. 551 (1): 131–136. doi:10.1007/s10750-005-4455-0. S2CID 46339363.
  11. ^ Okada, Miki; Grewell, Brenda J.; Jasieniuk, Marie (2009-10-01). "Clonal spread of invasive Ludwigia hexapetala and L. grandiflora in freshwater wetlands of California". Aquatic Botany. 91 (3): 123–129. doi:10.1016/j.aquabot.2009.03.006.
  12. ^ Stiers, Iris; Triest, Ludwig (2017-10-01). "Low interspecific pollen transfer between invasive aquatic Ludwigia grandiflora and native co-flowering plants". Biological Invasions. 19 (10): 2913–2925. doi:10.1007/s10530-017-1494-1. S2CID 7022310. Archived from the original on 2023-07-20. Retrieved 2020-02-03.