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Electronic Flora of South Australia species Fact Sheet

Family: Rubiaceae
Sherardia arvensis

Citation: L., Sp. Pl. 102 (1753).

Synonymy: Not Applicable

Common name: Field madder.

Description:
Annuals with weak stems up to 30 cm long, little-branched, prostrate to scrambling; stems quadrangular, glabrous or with scattered papillae bent downwards, but usually with a few papillae on the leaf sheath and the nodes; leaves and stipules equal, in whorls of 4 and obovate at the base or 6 and oblanceolate or elliptic to lanceolate above, 5-16 x 2-4 ram, acute, acuminate or rarely cuspidate, serrate-ciliate, glabrous or with scattered straight hairs pointing towards the apex of the leaf.

Inflorescence terminal, or terminal on short axillary branches, with 4-10 flowers surrounded by a cup of 8-10 leaf-like bracts fused at the base; corolla pink.

fruit obconical, 2-3 mm long, crowned by the persistent calyx.

Published illustration: Ross-Craig (1960) Drawings Brit. Pl. 14:t. 26.

Distribution:  S.Aust.: FR, EP, NL, MU, YP, SL, KI, SE.   N.S.W.; Vic.; Tas.   Native to Europe; north-west Asia; naturalised in North America.

Conservation status: naturalised

Flowering time: Sept. — Nov.


SA Distribution Map based
on current data relating to
specimens held in the
State Herbarium of South Australia

Biology: No text

Author: Not yet available


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