''Ludwigia octovalvis'' is a species of flowering plant in the
Onagraceae family
Family (from la, familia) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its ...
known by the common name Mexican primrose-willow. Its native distribution is unclear, but can be found in
Central America
Central America ( es, América Central or ) is a subregion of the Americas. Its boundaries are defined as bordering the United States to the north, Colombia to the south, the Caribbean Sea to the east, and the Pacific Ocean to the west. ...
,
Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...
,
South-East Asia, Tamilnadu (IND), the Middle East, the Central-
West Africa
West Africa or Western Africa is the westernmost region of Africa. The United Nations defines Western Africa as the 16 countries of Benin, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, The Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Ivory Coast, Liberia, Mali, Maurit ...
n regions and spreads easily to become
naturalized
Naturalization (or naturalisation) is the legal act or process by which a non-citizen of a country may acquire citizenship or nationality of that country. It may be done automatically by a statute, i.e., without any effort on the part of the in ...
. It is also cultivated as an
aquatic plant
Aquatic plants are plants that have adapted to living in aquatic environments (saltwater or freshwater). They are also referred to as hydrophytes or macrophytes to distinguish them from algae and other microphytes. A macrophyte is a plant that ...
. The plant is known for its anti-aging properties. The species is sometimes regarded as an
invasive species
An invasive species otherwise known as an alien is an introduced organism that becomes overpopulated and harms its new environment. Although most introduced species are neutral or beneficial with respect to other species, invasive species ad ...
and is classified by IUCN as of
Least Concern
A least-concern species is a species that has been categorized by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) as evaluated as not being a focus of species conservation because the specific species is still plentiful in the wild. T ...
with stable populations. An adult plant is one meter tall on average but is able to grow taller. It spreads to form mats on the mud, rooting at nodes in contact with the substrate, or floats ascending in the water. Its flowers are yellow in appearance. They are made up of green and red stems.
They yield small capsular fruits containing many minute seeds.
Gallery
File:Ludwigia octovalvis 11.JPG
File:Starr 070413-6937 Ludwigia octovalvis.jpg
File:Ludwigia octovalvis, loof, Krantzkloof NR.jpg
File: Ludwigia octovalvis (Onagraceae) - Flower.jpg
File:Ludwigia octovalvis (Onagraceae) - Flower and leaves.jpg
References
External links
Australian Tropical Rainforess Plants: Ludwigia octovalvisDiscover Nature: Ludwigia octovalvis
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octovalvis
{{Myrtales-stub