White porterweed is an annual or perennial herb growing up to 2 m tall, becoming somewhat woody toward base.

Stems are branched, younger stems moderately to densely short-pubescent. Leaves opposite, membranous or chartaceous, elliptic to ovate or narrowly ovate, 1.5-10 cm long, 1-5 cm wide, upper surface puberulent to strigillose or scaberulous, lower surface sparsely to moderately strigillose over entire surface, margins serrate to crenate-serrate, the teeth angled forward, apex sharply acute to acuminate, petioles 0.3-1 cm long. Spikes slender, 15-45 cm long, up to 3 mm in diameter, somewhat flaccid, usually short-pubescent throughout, the furrows nearly as wide as the rachis, bracts narrowly lancelike, 5 mm long; sepal-cup 6 mm long, the teeth subequal. Flowers pale blue to pale violet, or lavender, occasionally white.

Stachytarpheta australis (VERBENACEAE) Snakeweed, Branched Porterweed, Blue Rat's Tail A herb to 20cm, becoming somewhat woody towards base, native from Cuba and Mexicosouth to Peru and Argentina, now widely naturalized in tropical and subtropical areas. nakeweeds invade disturbed areas, e.g. creek lines and roadsides. Leaves opposite, elliptic to ovate or narrowly ovate, margins serrate to crenate-serrate, the teeth angled forward, apex sharply acute to acuminate. Flowers pale blue to blue, pale violet, orlavender, occasionally white.

Flora Zambesiaca Taxon Detail

Name Synonyms Distribution Range Habitat Description Notes

FZ volume:8 part:7 (2005) Verbenaceae by R. Fernandes (Search other Kew databases for: Stachytarpheta australis)

Stachytarpheta cayennensis (Rich.) Vahl Enum. Pl. 1: 208 (1804), as cajanensis. Persoon, Syn. Pl. 2: 140 (1806), as cajanensis. Walpers, Repert. Bot. Syst. 4: 5 (1845). Schauer in A. de Candolle, Prodr. 11: 562 (1847); in Martius, Fl. Bras. 9: 199 (1851), as Stachytarpha. Briquet in Engler & Prantl, Nat. Pflanzenfam. 4, 3a: 154 (1895). Urban, Symb. Antill. 4: 533 (1911). Danser in Ann. Jard. Bot. Buitenz. 40: 2 (1929). Moldenke in Lilloa 4: 299 (1939). A. Meeuse in Blumea 5: 69 (1942). Brenan in Kew Bull. 5: 223, fig. C (1950). Leon & Alain, Fl. Cuba 4: 296 (1957). Hepper in F.W.T.A., ed. 2, 2: 434, fig. 305 GL (1963). Backer & Bakhuizen van denBrink Jr., Fl. Java 2: 598 (1965). Adams, Fl. Pl. Jamaica: 632 (1972). Verdcourt in F.T.E.A., Verbenaceae: 18 (1992). TAB. 8. Type from French Guiana. Synonyms: ?stachytarpheta australis Moldenke in Phytologia 1: 470 (1940). Type from Argentina. Abena cayennensis (Rich.) Hitchc. in Rep. Missouri Bot. Gard. 4: 117 (1893). Stachytarpheta australis var. neocaledonica sensu Moldenke, in Fl. Madag., Verbenaceae 2425 (1956) quoad saltem Decary 15338 Moldenke (1949)*. Stachytarpheta dichotoma (Ruiz & Pavon) Vahl Enum. Pl. 1: 207 (1804). Persoon, op. cit.: 139 (1806). Schauer op. cit.: 561 (1847), as Stachytarpha pro parte? H. Moldenke & A. Moldenke in Rev. Fl. Ceylon 4: 261 (1983). Stachytarpheta indica sensu J.G. Baker in F.T.A. 5: 284 (1900) pro parte quoad Scott Elliot 4162, non (L.) Vahl (1804). Stachytarpheta jamaicensis sensu Hutchinson & Dalziel, F.W.T.A. 2: 277 (1931) pro parte quoad specim. Scott Elliot 4162, Dawodu364 et Dennett 502, non (L.) Vahl (1804). Valerianoides cayennensis (Rich.) Kuntze Revis. Gen. Pl., part 2: 510 (1891). Verbena cayennensis Rich. in Acta Soc. Hist. Nat. Paris, 1: 105 (1792).

Verbena dichotoma Ruiz & Pavon Fl. Peru, 1: 23, t. 34 fig. b (1798). Type from Peru. Zapania cayennensis (Rich.) Poir. Encycl. Mth. Bot. 8: 842 (1808), as cajanensis. Zapania dichotoma (Ruiz & Pavon) Poir. loc. cit. Distribution: Mozambique MS: Sofala, xii.1907, Coomans (LD). Zimbabwe E: Chipinge Distr., Chirinda Forest, near Chako Township, v.1977, Goldsmith 2/77 (BR; K; M; S). Range: Widespread and native in tropical America, now widely naturalized throughout the tropics. Habitat: Grassland, road sides and disturbed areas; 101200 m. Description: A perennial herb or much branched subshrub, 0.41.5(2.5) m high, woody at the base, glabrous or shortly pubescent and with a few longer hairs. Stem and branches subterete, hispid and scattered pilose mainly on the young parts, glabrescent on older parts. Leaves petiolate, usually blackish on drying; lamina 28(9) 1.63.5(4.5) cm, ovate to elliptic, obtuse or rounded to subacute at the apex, attenuate and decurrent into the petiole or rounded and abruptly narrowed and narrowly cuneate at the base, crenate-serrate on the marginwith teeth usually longer than deep, scabridulous on upper surface, glabrous or hairy on the nerves beneath, sometimes with some peltate glands near the base; petiole 11.5 cm long. Spikes slender, 2045 cm long with rhachis up to 3.5 mm thick in fruit, sparsely but distinctly pubescent to almost glabrous; bracts 3.55 0.51 mm, less than half as wide as the fruiting calyx, narrowly triangular and tapering to a subulate apex, equalling or slightly shorter than the fruiting calyx, very narrowly scarious and ciliate on the margin, thickened at the base. Calyx 45 mm long, tubular, ellipsoid with 1 3 peltate glands near the apex, 4-toothed with the teeth subequal. Corolla pale blue, pale lilac or white; tube 46 mm long, about equalling the calyx or exserted up to 2 mm; limb 47 mm in

diameter, the lobes 1.52 mm long. Style exserted 1.52.5 mm from the calyx after the fall of the corolla. Fruiting calyx somewhat embedded in the furrows of the rhachis. Mericarps 34 mm long, nearly black at maturity. Notes: Moldenke in Fifth Summ. Verbenaceae: 629, 1971, considered S. dichotoma (Ruiz & Pavon) Vahl to be synonymous with S. cayennensis, but in 1983 Moldenke & A. Moldenke (op. cit.: 261263) treated these taxa as separate species, commenting (op. cit. 264, 1983) that S. dichotoma may be a variety of S. cayennensis. Examination of the types of S. dichotoma (Peru, Ruiz & Pavon, MA) and of S. cayennensis (French Guiana,Leblond 356, G) confirms that the plants are indeed synonymous, the first being a plant with larger leaves.