Priva lappulacea (L.) Pers.
-
Authority
Acevedo-Rodríguez, Pedro & collaborators. 1996. Flora of St. John, U.S. Virgin Islands. Mem. New York Bot. Gard. 78: 1-581.
-
Family
Verbenaceae
-
Scientific Name
-
Description
Species Description - Erect or spreading herb to 60 cm tall; stems 4-angled, with uncinate and straight hairs along the angles. Leaf blades 3-7 x 1.3-4.3 cm, ovate to triangular, chartaceous, pilose above, puberulent beneath, the apex acute or acuminate, the base nearly truncate or cordate, the margins serrate; petioles 6-30 mm long, puberulent. Flowers few, in terminal and axillary, erect or lax, racemes, 9-20 cm long. Calyx greenish, 2-4 mm long, densely covered with uncinate hairs; corolla light violet, 4-5 mm long; stamens and style included. Fruit stipitate, nearly ellipsoid, ca. 2 mm long; cocci with 2 rows of minute, sharp spines; fruiting calyx inflated, ovoid, 5-6 mm long, completely enclosing the fruit.
Distribution and Ecology - An occasional herb of disturbed habitats. Coral Bay along Center Line Road (A3994), Great Cmz Bay (A2359), Lameshur (B507). Also on St. Croix and St. Thomas; native to tropical and subtropical America, introduced and naturalized into the Old World.