Boerhavia coccinea
Encyclopedia
Boerhavia coccinea is a species of flowering plant in the four o'clock family
which is known by many common names, including scarlet spiderling, red boerhavia, hogweed, and in Spanish
, hierba del cancer and hierba de la hormiga. It is a widespread plant whose native range is not certain but probably includes the southwestern United States and parts Mexico. It is present across the southeastern United States, where it may be naturalized
. It is present in Africa, Asia, Australia, and South America. It is present on many Pacific islands, including the Hawaiian Islands
, where it is an invasive species
and a noxious weed. It grows in a wide variety of habitats, including disturbed areas as a common roadside weed. This is a low-lying, sprawling perennial herb producing reaching stems which can exceed a meter in length. The stems are somewhat hairy and sticky with glands. The generally oval-shaped leaves are held on short petioles
. They are wavy along the edges and may have reddish margins. The inflorescence
is a small head of tiny frilly flowers, each just a few millimeters long. The flowers are often bright scarlet to red-violet in color but can be shades of pink, yellow, or white.
Nyctaginaceae
Nyctaginaceae, the Four O'Clock Family, is a family of around 33 genera and 290 species of flowering plants, widely distributed in tropical and subtropical regions, with a few representatives in temperate regions...
which is known by many common names, including scarlet spiderling, red boerhavia, hogweed, and in Spanish
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
, hierba del cancer and hierba de la hormiga. It is a widespread plant whose native range is not certain but probably includes the southwestern United States and parts Mexico. It is present across the southeastern United States, where it may be naturalized
Introduced species
An introduced species — or neozoon, alien, exotic, non-indigenous, or non-native species, or simply an introduction, is a species living outside its indigenous or native distributional range, and has arrived in an ecosystem or plant community by human activity, either deliberate or accidental...
. It is present in Africa, Asia, Australia, and South America. It is present on many Pacific islands, including the Hawaiian Islands
Hawaii
Hawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states , and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of...
, where it is an invasive species
Invasive species
"Invasive species", or invasive exotics, is a nomenclature term and categorization phrase used for flora and fauna, and for specific restoration-preservation processes in native habitats, with several definitions....
and a noxious weed. It grows in a wide variety of habitats, including disturbed areas as a common roadside weed. This is a low-lying, sprawling perennial herb producing reaching stems which can exceed a meter in length. The stems are somewhat hairy and sticky with glands. The generally oval-shaped leaves are held on short petioles
Petiole (botany)
In botany, the petiole is the stalk attaching the leaf blade to the stem. The petiole usually has the same internal structure as the stem. Outgrowths appearing on each side of the petiole are called stipules. Leaves lacking a petiole are called sessile, or clasping when they partly surround the...
. They are wavy along the edges and may have reddish margins. The inflorescence
Inflorescence
An inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a stem that is composed of a main branch or a complicated arrangement of branches. Strictly, it is the part of the shoot of seed plants where flowers are formed and which is accordingly modified...
is a small head of tiny frilly flowers, each just a few millimeters long. The flowers are often bright scarlet to red-violet in color but can be shades of pink, yellow, or white.