Paederia foetida L.

Global description

Paederia foetida is a climbing, woody plant, with slender stems, twining, measuring up to 10 m long. It is glabrous or has short hairs scattered on young parts, often becoming black on drying. The leaves are simple, opposite, stalked, with ovate to lanceolate lamina, acute at the top,  angled at the base,  glossy green color on the upper side, almost glabrous, except for some small hairs on the midrib. The margin is entire. The crushed leaves give off a foul odor. The flowers are grouped in loose inflorescences, inserted at the base of the leaves. The corolla is fused in a funnel, 6 to 7 mm long, topped by 5 triangular lobes, white to pale yellow outside with red or purple throat. The fruit is ellipsoid to sub-spherical, 5 to 6 mm in diameter, shiny green turning yellowish brown containing 2concave-convex seeds.
 
General habit

Perennial vine, woody, climbing and twining themselves around the supports it encounters. It can measure up to 10 m long.
 
Underground system

The plant has a taproot system.
 
Stem

Stem is cylindrical to quadrangular, slender, full, twining, winding from left to right, glabrous or having short hairs scattered on young parts, often becoming black when dry, older stems are pale yellow in colour.
 
Leaf

Leaves are simple, opposite, held by a long petiole, 1 to 4.5 cm long. There is a triangular stipular collar, 1.5 mm long, ciliate between the petioles. The lamina is oblong, oval to lanceolate, 1.5 to 9 cm long and 0.8 to 6 cm wide, shortly acuminate at the top, with wide angled or truncated at the base, shiny green color on the upper side, almost glabrous, except some small hairs on the midrib and on the margin. The venation is alternate. The leaves give off a foul odor when crushed.
 
Inflorescence

The inflorescence is a multiple biparous cyme, forming panicles sometimes large, reaching 12 cm in length or longer, generally axillary, but also terminal. Primary peduncles are 1.5 to 5 cm long, the secondary are1 to 1.5 mm long.
 
Flower

The flower has a green calyx fused into a 1.5 mm long tube, topped by five triangular lobes. The corolla is white to pale yellow on the outside, with dark red or purple throat. It is fused in a funnel,6 to 7 mm long, with mealy gray pubescence, with long glandular hairs interlaced on the internal surface of the collar, surmounted by 5 oblong lobes, 2 mm long and wide, with hairs similar to those inside the collar. The stamens have a white filament washed in purple or dark purple, and white anthers. The style is pale yellow, about 1 cm long, divided into two.
 
Fruit

The fruit is ellipsoid to sub-spherical, 5 to 6 mm in diameter, with shiny green pericarp, becoming yellowish-brown when dry, and glabrous. It contains 2 seeds.
 
Seed

Seed 4 to 5 mm large, concave-convex, pale, yellowish, becoming black when dry, surrounded by a membranous crest.

Origin

Paederia foetida is native to India and South East Asia.

Worldwide distribution

This species has been introduced in the Indian Ocean islands (Madagascar, Mauritius, Reunion, Comoros), in the Pacific in Eastern Australia, in New Caledonia and in Hawaii in the USA (Florida, North Carolina).

https://www.gbif.org/species/2909527