Skip the header
Open access
Datasheet
Enhanced
11 October 2022

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
English
false spurry
slender diamond flower
slender oldenlandia
wild coriander
Local Common Names
Ghana
milima
India
daman papar
kaag purale
kallasabatrasie
kallu sabseege
kattukothamalli
nonnanampully
paper-bhed
Nigeria
apikan
oloyuyin
Sierra Leone
aliaui
julenfunfuri
kuruniyambe
sirir
wutere
yengenwa
South Africa
seobi
Sri Lanka
wal koththamalli

Pictures

Oldenlandia herbacea habit.
Habit
Oldenlandia herbacea; habit. India. July 2015.
©Vengolis/via wikipedia - CC BY-SA 4.0
Oldenlandia herbacea habit.
Habit
Oldenlandia herbacea; habit. India. July 2015.
©Vengolis/via wikipedia - CC BY-SA 4.0
Flower of Oldenlandia herbacea.
Flower
Oldenlandia herbacea; flower. India. August 2010.
©Dinesh Valke/via wikipedia - CC BY-SA 2.0
Mature Oldenlandia herbacea with seedpods.
Seedpods
Oldenlandia herbacea; mature plant, with seedpods. nr. Dodhani village, Maharashtra, India. February 2011.
©Dinesh Valke/via wikipedia - CC BY-SA 2.0
Oldenlandia herbacea habit.
Habit
Oldenlandia herbacea; habit. Shamirpet, Rangareddy district, Andhra Pradesh, India. November 2009.
©J.M. Garg/via wikipedia - CC BY 3.0

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

This content is currently unavailable.

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

This content is currently unavailable.

Distribution Table

This content is currently unavailable.

Pathway Causes

Pathway causeNotesLong distanceLocalReferences
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 AsiaYesYes

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

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

CategorySub categoryHabitatPresenceStatus
Terrestrial Cultivated / agricultural landPresent, no further detailsHarmful (pest or invasive)
Terrestrial WetlandsPresent, no further detailsNatural
Terrestrial Disturbed areasPrincipal habitatNatural

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 typeDescriptionPreferred or toleratedRemarks
Af - Tropical rainforest climate> 60mm precipitation per monthPreferred 
Am - Tropical monsoon climateTropical 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 precipitationTolerated 
Cw - Warm temperate climate with dry winterWarm 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 enemyTypeLife stagesSpecificityReferencesBiological control inBiological control on
Tomato yellow leaf curl virus (leaf curl)Pathogen
Plants|Leaves
not specific  
Yam mosaic virusPathogen
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

NameURLComment
GISD/IASPMR: Invasive Alien Species Pathway Management Resource and DAISIE European Invasive Alien Species Gatewayhttps://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.m93f6Data source for updated system data added to species habitat list.

References

Abraham, P., Banwo, O.O., Kashina, B.D., Alegbejo, M.D., 2021. Identification of weed hosts of Tomato Yellow Leaf Curl Virus in field-grown tomato in Sudan savanna, Nigeria.International Journal of Horticultural Science and Technology, 8(3) 235-246.
Acevedo-Rodríguez, P., Strong, M.T., 2012. Catalogue of seed plants of the West Indies, 98(98) Washington, DC, USA: Smithsonian Institution. 1192 pp.
Aguilar, N.O., Lemmens, R.H.M.J., 1999. Oldenlandia herbacea (L.) Roxb.Proseabase, [ed. by Padua, L.S. de, Bunyapraphatsara, N., Lemmens, R.H.M.J.]. Bogor, Indonesia: PROSEA (Plant Resources of South-East Asia) Foundation. http://www.proseanet.org
Aliyu, T.H.H., Takim, F.O., Olatinwo, L.K., Arogundade, O., Omotesho, K.F.F., Oladoja, D.A., 2021. Severity of viral diseases and types of weeds as alternative viral hosts in Dioscorea fields in southern guinea savannah agroecology of Nigeria.Journal of Food and Agriculture, 14(2) 1-16.
Anougba, B.D., N'Guessan, A.H., Konan, K., Hala, N.F., Yeo, K., 2020. Inventory of refuge plants of Recilia mica Kramer (Homoptera, Cicadellidae), blast disease vector in oil palm nursery (Elaeis guineensis Jacq.).International Journal of Biological and Chemical Sciences, 14(2) 317-332.
Bentham, G., 1861. Flora Hongkongensis. A description of the flowering plants and ferns of the Island of Hongkong.London, UK: L. Reeve.
Burkill, H.M., 1985. The useful plants of west tropical Africa.4Contributor Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.
EPPO, 2016. EPPO global database.Paris, France: EPPO. https://gd.eppo.int/
Figueiredo, E., Paiva, J., Stévart, T., Oliveira, F., Smith, G.F., 2011. Annotated catalogue of the flowering plants of São Tomé and Príncipe.Bothalia, 41(1) 41-82. http://www.sanbi.org/
Florentin, M.N., Fader, A.C., Gonzalez, A.M., 2016. Morpho-anatomical and morphometric studies of the floral structures of the distylous Oldenlandia salzmannii (Rubiaceae).Acta Botanica Brasilica, 30(4) 585-601.
Guo, X., Wang, R., Simmons, M.P., But, P.H.P., Yu, J., 2013. Phylogeny of the Asian Hedyotis-Oldenlandia complex (Spermacoceae, Rubiaceae): evidence for high levels of polyphyly and the parallel evolution of diplophragmous capsules.Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution, 67(1) 110-122.
Hakim, M.A., Juraimi, A.S., Ismail, M.R., Hanafi, M.M., Selamat, A., 2013. A survey on weed diversity in coastal rice fields of Sebarang Perak in Peninsular Malaysia.JAPS, Journal of Animal and Plant Sciences, 23(2) 534-542. http://www.thejaps.org.pk/docs/v-23-2/33.pdf
Holm, L., Pancho, J.V., Herberger, J.P., Plucknett, D.L., 1979. A geographical atlas of world weeds.New York, USA: John Wiley and Sons. xiix + 391 pp.
Hsu, T.C., Chen, Z.H., 2017. Scleromitrion sirayanum (Rubiaceae: Spermacoceae), a new species of the Hedyotis-Oldenlandia complex in Taiwan.Taiwania, 62(2) 151-156.
Hyde, M.A., Wursten, B.T., Ballings, P., Coates Palgrave, M., 2016. In: Flora of Zimbabwe.https://www.zimbabweflora.co.zw/index.php
Ismail, B.S., Tasrif, A., Sastroutomo, S.S., Latiff, A., 1995. Weed seed populations in rubber and oil palm plantations with legume cover crops.Plant Protection Quarterly, 10(1) 20-23.
Kanteh, S.M., Samura, A.E., Jalloh, H., 2013. Weeding and plant density effects on weed density, agronomic traits and grain weight of cowpea (Vigna unguiculata) in Sierra Leone.International Journal of Agriculture and Forestry, 3(3) 117-128. http://article.sapub.org/10.5923.j.ijaf.20130303.08.html
Lewis, W.H., 1965. Cytopalynological studies of African Hedyotideae (Rubiaceae).Annals of the Missouri Botanical Garden, 52182-211.
Missouri Botanical Garden, 2016. In: Tropicos database.St. Louis, Missouri, USA: Missouri Botanical Garden. http://www.tropicos.org/
Mohotti, S., Rajendran, S., Muhammad, T., Strömstedt, A.A., Adhikari, A., Burman, R., Silva, E.D. de, Göransson, U., Hettiarachchi, C.M., Gunasekera, S., 2020. Screening for bioactive secondary metabolites in Sri Lankan medicinal plants by microfractionation and targeted isolation of antimicrobial flavonoids from Derris scandens.Journal of Ethnopharmacology, 246112158.
Neupane, S., Dessein, S., Motley, T.J., 2009. The Hedyotis-Oldenlandia-Kohautia complex (Rubiaceae) in Nepal: a study of fruit, seed and pollen characters and their taxonomic significance.Edinburgh Journal of Botany, 66(3) 371-390.
Neupane, S., Dessein, S., Wikström, N., Lewis, P.O., Long, C., Bremer, B., Motley, T.J., 2015. The Hedyotis-Oldenlandia complex (Rubiaceae: Spermacoceae) in Asia and the Pacific: phylogeny revisited with new generic delimitations.Taxon, 64(2) 299-322.
Oluwatobi, A.S., Olorunmaiye, K.S., 2014. Weed species distribution of juvenile oil palm tree (Elaeis guineensis) intercropped with maize (Zea mays), okra (Abelmoshus esculentus) and pepper (Capsicum anuum var. abbreviatum).Notulae Scientia Biologicae, 6(4) 483-490. http://notulaebiologicae.ro/index.php/nsb/article/view/9358/7954
Quattrocchi, U., 2012. CRC world dictionary of medicinal and poisonous plants: common names, scientific names, eponyms, synonyms, and etymology.London, UK: CRC Press Inc. 3960 pp.
Rao, G.S., Nagaraju, G., Mande, A., Kumar, K.S., Yesubabu, B., 2013. In vivo anti-inflammatory activity of ethanolic extract of Oldenlandia herbacea.Asian Journal of Phytomedicine and Clinical Research, 114-19.
Salamero, J., Marnotte, P., Bourgeois, T. le, Carrara, A., 1997. Practical identification key for 14 Rubiaceae weed species of western and central Africa.Agriculture et Développement, Mayspecial issue54-62.
Selvaraj, R., 1987. Karyomorphological studies in south Indian Rubiaceae.Cytologia, 52343-356.
Sood, S.K., Thakur, R., 2016. Herbal resources of India and Nepal: (tonic, memory boosters and mood swing).New Delhi, India: Scientific Publishers. 516 pp.
Terrell, E.E., Robinson, H., 2006. Taxonomy of North American species of Oldenlandia (Rubiaceae). SIDA, Contributions to Botany.The Botanical Research Institute of Texas, Inc., 22(1) The Botanical Research Institute of Texas, Inc. 305-3029.
Traore, K., Ballo, B., Pene, C.B., Ake, S., 2007. Characterization of the weed flora in oil palm (Elaeis guineensis Jacq.) agro-ecosystems in Cote d'Ivoire: the case of La Mé and Dabou. (Caractérisation de la flore adventice hypogée dans des agro-écosystèmes du palmier à huile (Elaeis guineensis Jacq.) en basse Côte d'Ivoire: cas de La Mé et de Dabou.) Agronomie Africaine, 19(3) 289-299. http://ajol.info/index.php/aga/article/view/1726
USDA-ARS, 2016. In: Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN). Online Database.Beltsville, Maryland, USA: National Germplasm Resources Laboratory. https://npgsweb.ars-grin.gov/gringlobal/taxon/taxonomysimple.aspx
Verdcourt, B., 1976. Rubiaceae (Part 1), Oldenlandia.Flora of Tropical East Africa, [ed. by Polhill, R.M.]. London: Crown Agents. 268-315.
Verdcourt, B., 1989. Rubiaceae, Oldenlandia.Flora Zambesiaca, vol. 5part 1London: Flora Zambesiaca Managing Committee. 1 pp.
Wang, R.J., Jiang, G.B., 2020. New record of the rubiaceous plants for the flora of Hong Kong.Journal of Tropical and Subtropical Botany, 28(2) 197-200.
Warrier, P.K., Nambiar, V.P.K., Ramankutty, C., 1995. Indian meicinal plants - a compendium of 500 Species.Hyderabad, India: Orient Longman Ltd.
Wells, M.J., Balsinhas, A.A., Joffe, H., Engelbrecht, V.M., Harding, G., Stirton, C.H., 1986. A catalogue of problem plants in southern Africa incorporating the national weed list of South Africa.Memoirs of the Botanical Survey of South Africa, (53) v + 658 pp.
Wikström, N., Neupane, S., Kårehed, J., Motley, T.J., Bremer, B., 2013. Phylogeny of Hedyotis L. (Rubiaceae: Spermacoceae): redefining a complex Asian-Pacific assemblage.Taxon, 62(2) 357-374.
Wong, K.M., Turner, I.M., Wang, R.J., Harwood, R., Seah, W.W., Ng, X.Y., Lim, R.C.J., Lua, H.K., Mahyuni, R., 2019. Rubiaceae.Flora of Singapore, 131-358.

Information & Authors

Information

Published In

History

Published online: 11 October 2022

Language

English

Authors

Affiliations

Eduardo Ventosa-Febles

Metrics & Citations

Metrics

VIEW ALL METRICS

SCITE_

Citations

Export citation

Select the format you want to export the citations of this publication.

EXPORT CITATIONS

View Options

View options

PDF

View PDF

Get Access

Login Options

Restore your content access

Enter your email address to restore your content access:

Note: This functionality works only for purchases done as a guest. If you already have an account, log in to access the content to which you are entitled.

Media

Figures

Other

Tables

Share

Share

Copy the content Link

Share on social media

Related Articles

Skip the navigation