Diodia

Scientific name

Diodia L.

Common names

buttonweed

Family

Rubiaceae

Native distribution

warm temperatetemperate:
(adj) of the climatic zone between boreal and tropical
and tropical Americas and Africa

Species cultivated

two species traded among hobbyists, but rarely available commercially:

Diodia kuntzei K. Schum.

D. virginiana L.

Adventive distribution

Diodia teres Walter is introduced into New South Wales (Australia), China and Denmark.

Weed status

can be weedy

Habit

small creeping, spreading, decumbentdecumbent:
(adj) (of stems) having a portion lying along the ground, with upper parts erect or ascending
to erect herb; often seasonally submergedsubmerged:
(adj) (syn. submersed) under water; submerged below the water surface
, sometimes floating

Brief description

Annual or perennialperennial:
(adj) (of a plant) having a life cycle of more than two years
. Stem square, branched, glabrousglabrous:
(adj) without hairs or scales
to pubescentpubescent:
(adj) (1) covered with short, soft hairs; (2) bearing hairs
. Leaves oppositeopposite:
(adj) (of leaves) two leaves per node; in pairs on opposite sides of an axis
or rarely in whorl-like clusters; sessilesessile:
(adj) attached directly, without a stalk
to shortly petiolatepetiolate:
(adj) relating to or in the form of a petiole; bearing petioles
; stipules interpetiolar, fused to leaves, sheathing, fimbriatefimbriate:
(adj) fringed with long hairs or processes
; leaf bladeblade:
(n) (syn. lamina) the flat, expanded part of a leaf, frond, or petal (excluding, e.g., the petiole)
elliptic to oblongoblong:
(adj) two to four times longer than wide, with +/- parallel sides
; apexapex:
(n) the point farthest from the point of attachment; the tip (often pointed)
acuteacute:
(adj) tapering to a sharp, pointed apex with more or less straight sides; broader than acuminate; forming an angle of less than 90 degrees
; base attenuateattenuate:
(adj) narrowing gradually to a point
to straight; marginmargin:
(n) edge; rim
entireentire:
(adj) having a continuous margin that is not toothed or lobed
, often with antrorseantrorse:
(adj.) bent or directed upward or forward
strigillose hairs; venationvenation:
(n) the arrangement of veins in a leaf
pinnatepinnate:
(adj) in the form of a feather; of, e.g., leaflets, lobes, or veins: arranged in two rows along an axis
or midribmidrib:
(n) the main or central vein, line or rib in a leaf or perianth segment
only. Inflorescenceinflorescence:
(n) the arrangement of flowers on the floral axis
axillaryaxillary:
(adj) in, of, or produced from an axil
, typically of 1 or 2 flowers. Flowers actinomorphicactinomorphic:
(adj) of flowers, having radial symmetry; capable of being bisected into identifical halves along more than one axis
; sessilesessile:
(adj) attached directly, without a stalk
; corollacorolla:
(n) the inner whorl(s) of the perianth; all the petals of a flower
tube 4-lobed, lobe apexapex:
(n) the point farthest from the point of attachment; the tip (often pointed)
acuteacute:
(adj) tapering to a sharp, pointed apex with more or less straight sides; broader than acuminate; forming an angle of less than 90 degrees
, glabrousglabrous:
(adj) without hairs or scales
externally, pubescentpubescent:
(adj) (1) covered with short, soft hairs; (2) bearing hairs
internally, typically white, lilac or purple; stamens 4, exsertedexserted:
(adj) projecting beyond, sticking out or protruding
; ovaryovary:
(n) a hollow organ at the base of the carpel of a flower in which ovules are produced
2-locular, stylestyle:
(n) in a flower, the narrow and elongated part of the pistil between the stigma and the ovary
filiformfiliform:
(adj) thread-like; long and thin
, stigmastigma:
(n) the portion of the pistil that is receptive to pollen
bilobed or capitatecapitate:
(adj) terminated by an enlarged and rounded head
.