''Gonocarpus teucrioides'', or forest raspwort is a common flowering

herb In general use, herbs are a widely distributed and widespread group of plants, excluding vegetables and other plants consumed for macronutrients, with savory or aromatic properties that are used for flavoring and garnishing food, for medicinal ...

or subshrub in the Haloragaceae, or watermilfoil family. It is native to

Queensland ) , nickname = Sunshine State , image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , established_ ...

New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...

, Victoria and

Tasmania ) , nickname = , image_map = Tasmania in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Tasmania in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdi ...

and is widespread and abundant in the understorey of wet forests. The name raspwort refers to the rough, scabrous surface of many of the ''Gonocarpus'' species. The specific epithet, ''teucrioides'', derives from '' Teucrium'' and the Greek suffix -''oides'' which indicates resemblance, thereby giving an adjective meaning that the species resembles the plants in the genus, ''Teucrium''.

Habit

It is an erect

perennial A perennial plant or simply perennial is a plant that lives more than two years. The term ('' per-'' + '' -ennial'', "through the years") is often used to differentiate a plant from shorter-lived annuals and biennials. The term is also wide ...

herb, woody at the base, 30–40 cm tall and 20–30 cm wide. Its stems are 4-angled in cross section. Leaves are opposite and ovate, with toothed margins and 7–22 mm long. They have a dark green upper surface and a lighter undersurface, stems are often reddish. Both the leaves and stems have stiff, spreading hairs. Flowers are small and solitary, occurring in pairs of

bract In botany, a bract is a modified or specialized leaf, especially one associated with a reproductive structure such as a flower, inflorescence axis or cone scale. Bracts are usually different from foliage leaves. They may be smaller, larger, or of ...

s in the leaf axils along the lower section of the flowering stem. They are carried in

raceme A raceme ( or ) or racemoid is an unbranched, indeterminate type of inflorescence bearing flowers having short floral stalks along the shoots that bear the flowers. The oldest flowers grow close to the base and new flowers are produced as the s ...

s at the end of the stem. Bracts are green and fleshy, petals are green to reddish. Plants are

monoecious Monoecy (; adj. monoecious ) is a sexual system in seed plants where separate male and female cones or flowers are present on the same plant. It is a monomorphic sexual system alongside gynomonoecy, andromonoecy and trimonoecy. Monoecy is conne ...

, and flowering occurs from October to January. Fruit is an ovoid, silver-grey ribbed nut, about 1.5 mm long.

Habitat

Native to Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria and Tasmania, ''Gonocarpus teucrioides'' prefers moist, well-drained soils in semi-shade. It is thus common in the understorey of open or partially open forests and vegetation types, especially those subjected to enhanced runoff or higher rainfall.

References

External links

''Gonocarpus teucrioides'' occurrence data
from

Australasian Virtual Herbarium The ''Australasian Virtual Herbarium'' (AVH) is an online resource that allows access to plant specimen data held by various Australian and New Zealand herbaria. It is part of the Atlas of Living Australia (ALA), and was formed by the amalgamat ...

* {{Taxonbar, from=Q15605455 Flora of Queensland Flora of Victoria (state) Flora of New South Wales Flora of Tasmania teucrioides Plants described in 1828 Taxa named by Augustin Pyramus de Candolle