Code
CNPPA
Growth form
Broadleaf
Biological cycle
Annual
Habitat
Marshland
Caperonia palustris (L.) A.St.-Hil.
synonym | Androphoranthus glandulosus H.Karst. |
synonym | Argythamnia palustris (L.) Kuntze |
synonym | Caperonia liebmanniana Didr. ex Pax & K.Hoffm., pro syn. |
synonym | Caperonia palustris var. linearifolia Standl. & L.O.Williams |
synonym | Caperonia palustris var. linearis Standl. & L.O.Williams |
synonym | Caperonia pubescens S.F.Blake |
synonym | Croton castaneifolius Kunth, nom. illeg. |
synonym | Croton palustris L. |
synonym | Lepidococca sieberi Turcz. |
synonym | Meterana palustris (L.) Raf. |
No Data |
Global description
Caperonia palustris is an annual herb with branched, upright stems, medium-sized, with a strongly hispid stem and simple leaves, alternate, narrow and elongate, strongly toothed. It is a monoecious plant (female flowers and male flowers distinct but on the same plant) with discrete white flowers.
Cotyledons
The cotyledons are obovate, with a wedge base, short stalked.
First leaves
The first leaves are simple, alternate, short stalked. Elliptical shape blade with toothed margin. Pinnate veins very visible.
General habit
Annual herbaceous plant 30 cm to 1 m in height, with branched stems, erect or partially spread and upright at the ends. Stems and petioles are strongly hispid.
Underground system
The root is a taproot.
Stem
The branched stem is erect to semi-erect. It is hispid, especially at the apex which is covered with rigid glandular hairs. The old stems measure 4 to 7 mm in diameter. Although this plant belongs to the family Euphorbiaceae its stem does not contain latex.
Leaf
The leaves are simple and alternate. The petiole is 5 to 20 mm long. It is framed by two filiform stipules. The leaves are narrow and elongate, rigid, ovate-lanceolate to ovate-elliptical, 4 to 15 cm long and 1 to 5 cm wide, widened at the base, apex acute, obtuse or rounded. The margin is serrated. The venation is pinnate. The veins are deeply embedded, well marked. The upper side of the blade is hairless. A pubescence is present on the veins on the underside.
Inflorescence
The flowers are arranged in slender axillary spikes, 1 to 9 cm long, borne by a peduncle of 1 to 7 cm. The sexes are separated, 2-4 female flowers at the base and many male flowers at the end.
Flower
The flowers are white, small in size. The female flowers (2-4) at the base of the inflorescence, ovate to unequal elliptic sepals, the largest 2 - 3.2 mm long becoming 3.5-5.5 mm in fruit. The petals 1-2 mm. Trilocular ovary globose, densely covered with trichomes with tuberculate base. The many male flowers are arranged at the end of the inflorescence, they have 5 obovate petals of 1.4 mm, almost equal.
Fruit
The fruit is a globular trilobed capsule 6 to 7 mm in diameter. It is muricate and covered with glandular hairs. Each lodge contains one seed.
Seed
The seed, 3 mm in diameter, is riddled with small cells (foveolate). It is brown.
Attributions | |
Contributors | |
Status | UNDER_CREATION |
Licenses | CC_BY |
References |
Benin : Caperonia palustris flowers and fructify from March to December.
Attributions | |
Contributors | |
Status | UNDER_CREATION |
Licenses | CC_BY |
References |
Characters to distinguish several species of Caperonia
Nervation of leaf base | Leaf shape | Raceme | Male flower | Species |
5-palmate | ovate | 4,5-6 cm | petals equal | C. latifolia |
pinnate | linear | 10-15 cm | petals unequal | C. serrata |
pinnate | lanceolate | 5-7,5 cm | petals unequal | C. palustris |
Attributions | |
Contributors | |
Status | UNDER_CREATION |
Licenses | CC_BY |
References |
Caperonia palustris grows in wetlands and at the water's edge between 0 and 150 m altitude.
West Indies: Present but quite rare in all the islands Guadeloupe, Martinique, Marie Galante, in humid lawns on wet ground and at the edge of ponds.
Benin : Swampy forests, fallows in lowland, temporary flooded plain, paddy fields.
Brazil: Major weed in rice fields especially in the south of the country.
French Guiana: Grows along the canals and rice fields in the Mana region, but also in the temporarily flooded areas that can be cultivated for vegetables during the dry season.
Attributions | |
Contributors | |
Status | UNDER_CREATION |
Licenses | CC_BY |
References |
Origin
Caperonia palustris is native to Central and South America.
Worldwide distribution
Species present in tropical and subtropical America. It is present in the south of the USA (Texas, Arkansas, Mississippi). It is common in tropical Africa, South Africa and Madagascar.
Attributions | |
Contributors | |
Status | UNDER_CREATION |
Licenses | CC_BY |
References |
Global harmfulness
Caperonia palustris is a common weed of irrigated rice fields.
Local harmfulness
West Indies: Uncommon, never abundant
Benin: frequent and scarce in irrigated rice.
Brazil: Particularly common in lowland rice cultivation in the south of the country.
Côte d'Ivoire: frequent and scarce in irrigated rice.
French Guiana: An infrequent species and never encountered in abundance in fruit or vegetable crops. On the other hand it is a frequent weed in rice fields.
USA: Major weed in paddy rice of southern USA.
Attributions | |
Contributors | |
Status | UNDER_CREATION |
Licenses | CC_BY |
References |
Attributions | |
Contributors | |
Status | UNDER_CREATION |
Licenses | CC_BY |
References |
- Fournet, J. (2002). Flore illustrée des phanérogames de Guadeloupe et de Martinique. Montpellier, France, Cirad, Gondwana éditions.
- Hutchinson, J., Dalziel, J.M., Keay, R.W.J., Hepper, F.N. 1958. Flora of west tropical africa. The Whitefriars Press, London & Tonbridge, Great Britain.
- Grard, P., et al. (2012). AFROweeds V.1.0: African weeds of rice Montpellier, France & Cotonou, Bénin, Cirad-AfricaRice eds.
- Akoegninou et al. 2006. Flore analytique du Bénin. Backhuys publishers. Cotonou & Wageningen. 1035 p.
- Berton, A. (2020). Flore spontanée des cultures maraichères et fruitières de Guyane. Guide de reconnaissance des 140 adventices les plus communes des parcelles cultivées. Cayenne, Guyane, FREDON Guyane: 186.https://portal.wiktrop.org/document/show/173
- Marnotte, P. and A. Carrara. (2007). "Plantes des rizières de Guyane." from http://plantes-rizieres-guyane.cirad.fr/.
- Fournet, J. (2002). Flore illustrée des phanérogames de Guadeloupe et de Martinique. Montpellier, France, Cirad, Gondwana éditions.
- Hutchinson, J., Dalziel, J.M., Keay, R.W.J., Hepper, F.N. 1958. Flora of west tropical africa. The Whitefriars Press, London & Tonbridge, Great Britain.
- Grard, P., et al. (2012). AFROweeds V.1.0: African weeds of rice Montpellier, France & Cotonou, Bénin, Cirad-AfricaRice eds.
- Akoegninou et al. 2006. Flore analytique du Bénin. Backhuys publishers. Cotonou & Wageningen. 1035 p.
- Berton, A. (2020). Flore spontanée des cultures maraichères et fruitières de Guyane. Guide de reconnaissance des 140 adventices les plus communes des parcelles cultivées. Cayenne, Guyane, FREDON Guyane: 186.https://portal.wiktrop.org/document/show/173
- Marnotte, P. and A. Carrara. (2007). "Plantes des rizières de Guyane." from http://plantes-rizieres-guyane.cirad.fr/.
Herbarium pictures ReCOLNAT: https://explore.recolnat.org/search/botanique/simplequery=Caperonia%2520palustris
Attributions | |
Contributors | |
Status | UNDER_CREATION |
Licenses | CC_BY |
References |
Root | Root |
Kingdom | Plantae |
Phylum | Tracheophyta |
Class | Magnoliopsida |
Order | Malpighiales |
Family | Euphorbiaceae |
Genus | Caperonia |
Species | Caperonia palustris (L.) A.St.-Hil. |