Spermacoce sphaerostigma (A. Rich.) Vatke

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Flower
Perennial wet dambo grassland
Munshimbwe area, Mporokoso District
Mar 2019
Photo: Nick Wightman

Habit
Perennial wet dambo grassland
Munshimbwe area, Mporokoso District
Mar 2019
Photo: Nick Wightman

Stem
Perennial wet dambo grassland
Munshimbwe area, Mporokoso District
Mar 2019
Photo: Nick Wightman

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Synonyms:	Arbulocarpus sphaerostigma (A. Rich.) Tennant Hypodematium ampliatum A. Rich. Hypodematium phaerostigma A. Rich. Spermacoce ampliata (A. Rich) Oliv. Spermacoce senensis sensu Hiern
Common names:
Frequency:	Occasional
Status:	Native
Description:	Annual erect herb 10-90 cm tall; stems unbranched to much-branched, sparsely to densely covered with spreading hairs; leaf blades 1-10 x 0.4-3.5 cm, lanceolate to elliptic-lanceolate, acute at apex and cuneate at base, sparsely to distinctly hairy on both surfaces; flowers in clusters at apex and upper axils of stems; corolla white, blue, purple or white with blue streaks, tube funnel-shaped, 5-8.5 x 0.8 at base, 5 mm wide at the throat; lobes 3-4 x 1.5-2 mm, triangular, usually with some hairs outside at the apex; capsule ovoid, 3.5-4 x 2-3 mm, splitting from the base upwards but remaining in one piece.
Type location:	Ethiopia
Notes:
Derivation of specific name:
Habitat:	Tall grasslands, often in marshy places, Brachystegia woodland, cultivations and roadsides.
Altitude range:	600 - 1650 m
Flowering time:	Feb - Mar
Worldwide distribution:	Nigeria east to Ethiopia south to Mozambique and Zambia.
Zambian distribution (Flora Zambesiaca):	N,W,C,E
Zambian distribution (Provinces):	Cb,N,C,E
Growth form(s):
Endemic status:
Red data list status:
Insects associated with this species:
Spot characters:	Display spot characters for this species
Content last updated:	Wednesday 12 February 2020
Literature:	Phiri, P.S.M. (2005). A Checklist of Zambian Vascular Plants Southern African Botanical Diversity Network Report No. 32 Page 93. Tennant, J.R. (1957). A New Name in Rubiaceae Kew Bulletin 12(3) Page 386. As Arbulocarpus sphaerostigma Verdcourt, B. (1988). Rubiaceae, Part 1 Flora Zambesiaca 5(1) Pages 183 - 184.

Other sources of information about Spermacoce sphaerostigma:

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Flora of Burundi: Spermacoce sphaerostigma
Flora of Malawi: Spermacoce sphaerostigma
Flora of Mozambique: Spermacoce sphaerostigma

External websites:

African Plants: A Photo Guide (Senckenberg): Spermacoce sphaerostigma
African Plant Database: Spermacoce sphaerostigma
BHL (Biodiversity Heritage Library): Spermacoce sphaerostigma
EOL (Encyclopedia of Life): Spermacoce sphaerostigma
GBIF (Global Biodiversity Information Facility): Spermacoce sphaerostigma
Google: Web - Images - Scholar
iNaturalist: Spermacoce sphaerostigma
IPNI (International Plant Names Index): Spermacoce sphaerostigma
JSTOR Plant Science: Spermacoce sphaerostigma
Mansfeld World Database of Agricultural and Horticultural Crops: Spermacoce sphaerostigma
Plants of the World Online: Spermacoce sphaerostigma
Tropicos: Spermacoce sphaerostigma
Wikipedia: Spermacoce sphaerostigma