Angiosperms (Flowering Plants) • Earth.com

Yellow-flowered waterhyssop

(Mecardonia procumbens)

galery
en

Description

Mecardonia procumbens (also known as yellow-flowered waterhyssop), common name baby jump-up, is an annual or perennial herb native to tropical and subtropical regions of the Americas. It has become widely spread in warmer regions worldwide, and is now naturalised on all continents except Antarctica, in addition to most islands with suitable climates. Mecardonia (axilflower) is a genus of herbaceous plants in the family Plantaginaceae. 31 species have been described, of which 12 are accepted. Its distribution is predominantly in South America, and South East United States, including Florida and Alabama but may be found as far north as Virginia. (see map) Five species are found in Argentina and three in the US. They are herbaceous procumbent glabrous plants. They are mostly blackened when they are dry. Their stems are 5–40 cm in length and they have 4-alate leaves. Ovate leaves 7–25 mm in length and 3–16 mm wide, with a crenate edge; petiolate. Solitary axillary flowers, pedicles 8-20 (-26) mm in length, basally bibracteolate; 5-lobed calyx, with unequal lobes, more or less free to the base, imbricate, the adaxial lobe widely lanceate to ovate, 5-9.5 mm long and 3–6 mm wide, slightly accrescent, the 2 middle lobes longer and overlapping, the 2 abaxial lobes nearly the same size as the adaxial and overlapping the middle lobes; 5-lobed corolla, 7–8 mm long, yellow with purple at the throat, bearded at the mouth; 4 fertile stamens. Ovoid fruit capsule, 5–7 mm long, loculicidal; ovoid, reticulated seeds. The genus was described by Ruiz & Pav., published in Florae Peruvianae, et Chilensis Prodromus 95. 1794. The type species is: Mecardonia procumbens Ruiz & Pav. The genus is named after Antonio Meca y Cardona, who founded the botanical gardens in Barcelona, in 1784. Rossow (1987) in his taxonomic revision of the genus, recognized ten species. A new species, M kamogawae, was identified in Argentina by Greppi and Hagiwara (2011). Sold as an ornamental garden flower, such as Mecardonia Magic Carpet Yellow, as annuals in colder areas.

Taxonomic tree:

Domain:
Kingdom: Plantae
Phylum: Magnoliophyta
Class: Magnoliopsida
Order:Lamiales
Family:Plantaginaceae
Genus:Mecardonia
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