Oldenlandia herbacea
Datasheet Types: Documented species, Pest
Abstract
This datasheet on Oldenlandia herbacea covers Identity, Overview, Distribution, Dispersal, Hosts/Species Affected, Diagnosis, Biology & Ecology, Environmental Requirements, Natural Enemies, Impacts, Uses, Further Information.
Identity
- Preferred Scientific Name
- Oldenlandia herbacea (L.) Roxb.
- Other Scientific Names
- Hedyotis commutata Schult.
- Hedyotis dichotoma A. Rich. non Roth
- Hedyotis diffusa Willd.
- Hedyotis herbacea L.
- Hedyotis heynii (G. Don) Sond.
- Hedyotis lancifolia Schumach.
- Oldenlandia dichotoma (Roth) Hook. f.
- Oldenlandia dichotoma A. Rich.
- Oldenlandia dichotoma var. papillosa Chiov.
- Oldenlandia herbacea var. papillosa (Chiov.) Bremek.
- Oldenlandia heynei Oliv.
- Oldenlandia heynii G. Don
- Oldenlandia lancifolia (Schumach.) DC.
- International Common Names
- Englishfalse spurryslender diamond flowerslender oldenlandiawild coriander
- Local Common Names
- Ghanamilima
- Indiadaman paparkaag puralekallasabatrasiekallu sabseegekattukothamallinonnanampullypaper-bhed
- Nigeriaapikanoloyuyin
- Sierra Leonealiauijulenfunfurikuruniyambesirirwutereyengenwa
- South Africaseobi
- Sri Lankawal koththamalli
Pictures
Summary of Invasiveness
Oldenlandia herbacea is an erect annual or perennial herb with much-branched wiry stems. It is a common weed found throughout the warmer parts of Asia and Africa and in some parts of tropical America. Although reported in cowpea, rice and oil palm fields, it is not known to cause problems. There is no evidence of it being invasive.
Taxonomic Tree
Notes on Taxonomy and Nomenclature
Oldenlandia and Hedyotis, two of the largest genera within the Rubiaceae, occur throughout tropical and subtropical regions worldwide. Both are grouped in the Hedyotis-Oldenlandia complex, comprising more than 500 species; these are very similar and share a herbaceous or shrubby habit, relatively small flowers with four petals, 2-locular ovaries and dehiscent or indehiscent capsules with many seeds (Neupane et al., 2009; Guo et al., 2013).
The generic delimitation in the Hedyotis-Oldenlandia complex has a taxonomically confused history due to the broad geographic distribution, species richness and morphological diversity of the members. Previous treatments included accepting a very broad-sensed Hedyotis, to partially or completely segregating both taxa into different numbers of smaller genera (Guo et al., 2013; Wikström et al., 2013; Neupane et al., 2015; Hsu and Chen, 2017). Many species have a scientific name in Hedyotis and also a synonym in Oldenlandia and vice versa (Wong et al., 2019).
Lewis (1965) noted that Africa has more Oldenlandia species than exist in all other tropical regions combined and is the centre of its morphological diversity. Several species are common agricultural weeds (Holm et al., 1979).
Oldenlandia herbacea is a common weed in tropical regions of Asia and Africa. The genus name Oldenlandia honours Henrik Bernard Oldenlan, a 17th century Danish physician and botanist. The specific epithet refers to the habit of the plant.
Plant Type
Annual
Perennial
Seed / spore propagated
Herbaceous
Description
The following description is from Wong et al. (2019):
Herbs, annual or perennial. Stems erect or suberect, weakly to sharply 4-ribbed, often narrowly winged at nodes, glabrous. Stipules reduced or truncate, fused to petiole bases, 2-4 × 0.2-0.3 mm, with few setae or bristles on the margin. Leaves: lamina linear or linear-lanceolate, 1-5.5 × 0.1-0.3 cm, apex acute, base acute to obtuse, margins weakly to strongly revolute, membranous to papery, glabrous to scaberulous on both sides, secondary veins not distinct; sessile or subsessile. Inflorescences axillary, solitary, rarely several-flowered and fasciculate to cymose, glabrous. Flowers 3-4 mm long, homostylous, rarely heterostylous, pedicels 6-22 mm long, as long as or longer than the leaves; hypanthium subglobose to ovoid, 0.8-1 mm long, usually glabrous, calyx lobes 4, narrowly triangular to linear, 0.5-1.5 mm long, scabridulous at the margin; corolla white to reddish or pale purple, infundibuliform, outside glabrous, tube 2-3 mm long, glabrous at throat, lobes ovate to oblong, 0.5-1 × 0.2-1 mm, acute; stamens four, inserted within tube or on throat, often visible, filaments very short in isostylous flowers, anthers c. 0.2 mm long, linear; ovary 0.5-1 mm long, ovules many; style slender, 3-3.5 mm long, stigma bilobed, lobes filiform, c. 0.8 mm long. Capsules globose or ovoid, 2-2.5 mm long, top protruding beyond the erect calyx segments, glabrous, loculicidally dehiscent through the beaked apex. Seeds many, angular, c. 0.2 mm diam., exotesta strongly reticulate, brownish, mucilaginous.
Distribution
Oldenlandia herbacea is widespread in tropical Africa and Asia, Madagascar and other Indian Ocean islands (Hyde et al., 2016). Native to India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, sub-Saharan Africa, Madagascar, this species has been introduced to Indochina, Malesia, China, New Guinea, Central America and South America (northern) (EPPO, 2016).
Distribution Map
Distribution Table
Pathway Causes
Pathway cause | Notes | Long distance | Local | References |
---|---|---|---|---|
Crop production (pathway cause) | Weed in crop fields | Yes | Traore et al. (2007), Hakim et al. (2013) | |
Medicinal use (pathway cause) | Used in traditional medicine in Asia | Yes | Yes |
Hosts/Species Affected
Oldenlandia herbacea is a weed in cowpea (Vigna unguiculata) fields in Sierra Leone (Kanteh et al., 2013), yam (Dioscorea spp.) fields in Nigeria (Aliyu et al., 2021), rice (Oryza sativa) fields in Malaysia (Hakim et al., 2013), oil palm (Elaeis guineensis) plantations in Côte d'Ivoire (Traore et al., 2007) and Malaysia (Ismail et al., 1995), rubber plantations in Malaysia (Ismail et al., 1995) and in experimental plots of an intercrop of juvenile oil palm trees with maize (Zea mays), okra (Abelmoschus esculentus) and pepper (Capsicum annuum var. abbreviatum) fields in Nigeria (Oluwatobi and Olorunmaiye, 2014).
Host Plants and Other Plants Affected
Host | Family | Host status | References |
---|---|---|---|
Abelmoschus esculentus (okra) | Malvaceae | Unknown | |
Capsicum annuum var. abbreviatum | Unknown | ||
Elaeis guineensis (African oil palm) | Arecaceae | Unknown | |
Hevea brasiliensis (rubber) | Euphorbiaceae | Unknown | |
Oryza sativa (rice) | Poaceae | Unknown | |
Vigna unguiculata (cowpea) | Fabaceae | Unknown | |
Zea mays (maize) | Poaceae | Unknown |
Similarities to Other Species/Conditions
In Africa, O. herbacea can be confused with Oldenlandia corymbosa. It is possible to distinguish the two species by their habit; O. herbacea is upright, grows in compact tufts, is highly branched, while O. corymbosa is semi-upright, has a slender stem with relatively little branching. The flowers of O. corymbosa are grouped while those of O. herbacea are generally solitary (Salamero et al., 1997).
Many American collections of Oldenlandia lancifolia have been misidentified as O. herbacea: in the Caribbean, O. herbacea has been misapplied to O. lancifolia (Acevedo-Rodriguez and Strong, 2012).
Habitat
Oldenlandia herbacea is found in a wide variety of habitats, in rocky or marshy areas, near edges of ponds, roadsides, in harvested rice fields, among grasses or sand dunes, grassland, dry woodland, dry waterholes and damp or swampy areas (Verdcourt, 1989; Wong et al., 2019). In Zimbabwe, it occurs in dry woodland to damp grassland and seepage zones and roadsides (Hyde et al., 2016). In Madagascar, this species is widespread in wooded vegetation on both lateritic and quartzite substrates and has been collected in the grasslands of the central plateau (Missouri Botanical Garden, 2016). O. herbacea is found from sea level to an altitude of about 2000 m (Missouri Botanical Garden, 2016).
Habitat List
Category | Sub category | Habitat | Presence | Status |
---|---|---|---|---|
Terrestrial | Cultivated / agricultural land | Present, no further details | Harmful (pest or invasive) | |
Terrestrial | Wetlands | Present, no further details | Natural | |
Terrestrial | Disturbed areas | Principal habitat | Natural |
Biology and Ecology
Genetics
A chromosome number of 2n = 18 has been reported for O. herbacea (Selvaraj, 1987).
Reproductive Biology
There is little information on the reproductive biology of O. herbacea. It is generally propagated by seed.
Oldenlandia is known to contain both heterostylous and homostylous species. Many species within the Hedyotis-Oldelandia complex are self-compatible (Terrell and Robinson, 2006; Florentin et al., 2016).
Physiology and Phenology
In Africa, O. herbacea flowers from September to March (Hyde et al., 2016). In India, flowering and fruiting occurs from February to August (Sood and Thakur, 2016).
Longevity
Oldenlandia herbacea is an annual or perennial herb species (Quattrocchi, 2012).
Associations
In Côte d'Ivoire, O. herbacea was identified as one of the refuge plants of Recilia mica [Maiestas mica], a vector of blast disease in oil palm nurseries (Anougba et al., 2020).
Environmental Requirements
Oldenlandia herbacea is a weed in cultivated fields and grazing land, becoming weedy on arable land. It can grow on sandy or gravelly soil.
Climate
Climate type | Description | Preferred or tolerated | Remarks |
---|---|---|---|
Af - Tropical rainforest climate | > 60mm precipitation per month | Preferred | |
Am - Tropical monsoon climate | Tropical monsoon climate ( < 60mm precipitation driest month but > (100 - [total annual precipitation(mm}/25])) | Preferred | |
As - Tropical savanna climate with dry summer | < 60mm precipitation driest month (in summer) and < (100 - [total annual precipitation{mm}/25]) | Preferred | |
Aw - Tropical wet and dry savanna climate | < 60mm precipitation driest month (in winter) and < (100 - [total annual precipitation{mm}/25]) | Preferred | |
BS - Steppe climate | > 430mm and < 860mm annual precipitation | Tolerated | |
Cw - Warm temperate climate with dry winter | Warm temperate climate with dry winter (Warm average temp. > 10°C, Cold average temp. > 0°C, dry winters) | Tolerated |
Soil Tolerances
Soil texture > Light
Notes on Natural Enemies
In Nigeria, O. herbacea is recorded as a host of the plant viruses, Tomato yellow leaf curl virus (TYLCV) in field-grown tomatoes (Solanum lycopersicum) (Abraham et al., 2021) and Yam mosaic virus (YMV) in yam fields (Aliyu et al., 2021), indicating the possibility of this species acting as a reservoir for both viruses.
Natural enemies
Natural enemy | Type | Life stages | Specificity | References | Biological control in | Biological control on |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Tomato yellow leaf curl virus (leaf curl) | Pathogen | Plants|Leaves | not specific | |||
Yam mosaic virus | Pathogen | Plants|Leaves | not specific |
Impact: Economic
Bentham (1861) described O. herbacea as a common weed found throughout the warmer parts of Asia and Africa and in some parts of tropical America. It has been reported in cowpea, rice, yam, rubber and oil palm fields (Ismail et al., 1995; Traore et al., 2007; Hakim et al., 2013; Kanteh et al., 2013; Aliyu et al., 2021) and in experimental plots of an intercrop of juvenile oil palm trees with maize, okra and pepper (Oluwatobi and Olorunmaiye, 2014).
This species is also listed as one of the problem plants in southern Africa (Wells et al., 1986). Although buried seeds of O. herbacea in the soil of rubber and oil palm fields in Malaysia showed high viability, this weed has not been reported to cause problems in either rubber or oil palm growing areas (Ismail et al., 1995).
Risk and Impact Factors
Invasiveness
Has a broad native range
Abundant in its native range
Gregarious
Impact outcomes
Negatively impacts agriculture
Uses
Economic Value
According to Burkill (1985), O. herbacea is used in the production of dyes, stains, inks, tattoos, mordants and hunting and fishing apparatus (Burkill, 1985).
Social Benefit
Oldenlandia herbacea is used in traditional medicine in parts of Asia (Quattrocchi, 2012). In Sri Lanka it is used in the treatment of diabetes mellitus, menstrual cycle disorders, ear diseases, eye diseases, vomiting, leprosy, naso-pharyngeal infections, stomach disorders, venereal diseases, parasitic infections and liver diseases (Mohotti et al., 2020). In India, it is considered an important medicinal plant for its febrifuge, anthelmintic, expectorant, stomachic and anti-inflammatory properties; it is used in the treatment of elephantiasis, fever, dyspepsia, flatulence, colic, asthma, bronchitis and ulcers (Warrier et al., 1995; Rao et al., 2013). This species is also used medicinally in Peninsular Malaysia, without specification (Aguilar and Lemmens, 1999).
Leaves are used in the treatment of arthritis, rheumatism, eye problems and venereal diseases. Roots are used as laxatives and abortifacients, and in the treatment of pulmonary and skin conditions, dropsy, swellings, oedema and gout. This species is also used as an antidote for venomous stings and bites (Burkill, 1985).
Uses List
General > Ritual uses
General > Sociocultural value
Materials > Dye/tanning
Materials > Dyestuffs
Medicinal, pharmaceutical > Source of medicine/pharmaceutical
Medicinal, pharmaceutical > Traditional/folklore
Human food and beverage > Spices and culinary herbs
Links to Websites
Name | URL | Comment |
---|---|---|
GISD/IASPMR: Invasive Alien Species Pathway Management Resource and DAISIE European Invasive Alien Species Gateway | https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.m93f6 | Data source for updated system data added to species habitat list. |
References
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