''Spermacoce'' or false buttonweed is a

genus Genus (; : genera ) is a taxonomic rank above species and below family (taxonomy), family as used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In bino ...

flowering plant Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (). The term angiosperm is derived from the Ancient Greek, Greek words (; 'container, vessel') and (; 'seed'), meaning that the seeds are enclosed with ...

s in the

family Family (from ) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). It forms the basis for social order. Ideally, families offer predictabili ...

Rubiaceae Rubiaceae () is a family (biology), family of flowering plants, commonly known as the coffee, madder, or bedstraw family. It consists of terrestrial trees, shrubs, lianas, or herbs that are recognizable by simple, opposite leaves with Petiole ( ...

. It comprises about 275 species found throughout the tropics and subtropics. Its highest diversity is found in the

Americas The Americas, sometimes collectively called America, are a landmass comprising the totality of North America and South America.''Webster's New World College Dictionary'', 2010 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio. When viewed as a sing ...

, followed by Africa, Australia and Asia. It can be used for the treatment of eczema by rubbing the leaves on the affected part.

Description

The species are herbs or small shrubs with small- to medium-sized, four-lobed flowers arranged in capitate inflorescences. Some have a brightly coloured calyx and are eye-catching, particularly the Australian species. The corolla is variable in colour, often white, but also all shades of blue, pink and maroon. The fruit is usually a two-seeded capsule, sometimes a

schizocarp A schizocarp is a dry fruit that, when mature, splits up into mericarps. There are different definitions: * Any Dry fruits, dry fruit composed of multiple carpels that separate. : Under this definition the mericarps can contain one or more ...

or nut.

Selected species

''Spermacoce'' is a highly diverse genus with over 290 species in many tropical and subtropical places around the globe.Kew World Checklist of Selected Plant Families
/ref> North American species include:Biota of North America Program
/ref> *'' Spermacoce alata'' Aubl. -

West Indies The West Indies is an island subregion of the Americas, surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea, which comprises 13 independent island country, island countries and 19 dependent territory, dependencies in thr ...

, most of

Latin America Latin America is the cultural region of the Americas where Romance languages are predominantly spoken, primarily Spanish language, Spanish and Portuguese language, Portuguese. Latin America is defined according to cultural identity, not geogr ...

; naturalized in Africa, India, China,

Southeast Asia Southeast Asia is the geographical United Nations geoscheme for Asia#South-eastern Asia, southeastern region of Asia, consisting of the regions that are situated south of China, east of the Indian subcontinent, and northwest of the Mainland Au ...

, Australia,

Melanesia Melanesia (, ) is a subregion of Oceania in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It extends from New Guinea in the west to the Fiji Islands in the east, and includes the Arafura Sea. The region includes the four independent countries of Fiji, Vanu ...

*'' Spermacoce brachysepala'' (Urb.) Alain in H.A.Liogier & L.F.Martorell - West Indian false buttonweed -

Puerto Rico ; abbreviated PR), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, is a Government of Puerto Rico, self-governing Caribbean Geography of Puerto Rico, archipelago and island organized as an Territories of the United States, unincorporated territo ...

, Haiti, Dominican Republic *'' Spermacoce capitata'' Ruiz & Pav. - baldhead false buttonweed - Central and South America from Belize to Argentina *'' Spermacoce confusa'' Rendle - river false buttonweed -

Florida Florida ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders the Gulf of Mexico to the west, Alabama to the northwest, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the north, the Atlantic ...

, West Indies, Latin America from Mexico to Argentina *'' Spermacoce densiflora'' (DC.) Alain - bouquet false buttonweed - Florida, West Indies, Latin America from Mexico to Argentina *'' Spermacoce eryngioides'' (Cham. & Schltdl.) Kuntze - whorled-leaf false buttonweed - West Indies including Puerto Rico; southeastern South America from Bolivia and Brazil to Argentina *'' Spermacoce exilis'' (L.O. Williams) C. Adams - Pacific false buttonweed - Latin America from Mexico to Argentina, plus West Indies; naturalized in Africa, China, India, southeast Asia and some tropical oceanic islands *'' Spermacoce glabra'' Michx. - smooth false buttonweed - southern and eastern United States (mostly in the Lower Mississippi Valley); also South America *'' Spermacoce keyensis'' Urb. - Florida false buttonweed - southern Florida,

Bahamas The Bahamas, officially the Commonwealth of The Bahamas, is an archipelagic and island country within the Lucayan Archipelago of the Atlantic Ocean. It contains 97 per cent of the archipelago's land area and 88 per cent of its population. ...

, southern tip of

Texas Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...

( Cameron County) *'' Spermacoce neoterminalis'' Govaerts - Everglades false buttonweed- southern Florida *'' Spermacoce ocymoides'' Burm.f. *'' Spermacoce ovalifolia'' (M. Martens & Galeotti) Hemsl. - broadleaf false buttonweed - West Indies including Puerto Rico, Latin America from Mexico to Paraguay *'' Spermacoce prostrata'' Aubl. - prostrate false buttonweed - Florida,

Mississippi Mississippi ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Deep South regions of the United States. It borders Tennessee to the north, Alabama to the east, the Gulf of Mexico to the south, Louisiana to the s ...

Alabama Alabama ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Deep South, Deep Southern regions of the United States. It borders Tennessee to the north, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gu ...

, West Indies including Puerto Rico; most of Latin America; naturalized in China, Vietnam, Sri Lanka and

Java Java is one of the Greater Sunda Islands in Indonesia. It is bordered by the Indian Ocean to the south and the Java Sea (a part of Pacific Ocean) to the north. With a population of 156.9 million people (including Madura) in mid 2024, proje ...

*'' Spermacoce remota'' - Lam. - woodland false buttonweed - Florida,

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the South Caucasus * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the southeastern United States Georgia may also refer to: People and fictional characters * Georgia (name), a list of pe ...

, Texas, Alabama, West Indies, much of Latin America; naturalized in Southeast Asia, China, India,

New Guinea New Guinea (; Hiri Motu: ''Niu Gini''; , fossilized , also known as Papua or historically ) is the List of islands by area, world's second-largest island, with an area of . Located in Melanesia in the southwestern Pacific Ocean, the island is ...

Mauritius Mauritius, officially the Republic of Mauritius, is an island country in the Indian Ocean, about off the southeastern coast of East Africa, east of Madagascar. It includes the main island (also called Mauritius), as well as Rodrigues, Ag ...

and many oceanic islands (including

Hawaii Hawaii ( ; ) is an island U.S. state, state of the United States, in the Pacific Ocean about southwest of the U.S. mainland. One of the two Non-contiguous United States, non-contiguous U.S. states (along with Alaska), it is the only sta ...

) *'' Spermacoce tenuior'' L. - slender false buttonweed - Texas,

Louisiana Louisiana ( ; ; ) is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It borders Texas to the west, Arkansas to the north, and Mississippi to the east. Of the 50 U.S. states, it ranks 31st in area and 25 ...

, Georgia, West Indies; Latin America from Mexico to Bolivia; naturalized in Tanzania,

Sulawesi Sulawesi ( ), also known as Celebes ( ), is an island in Indonesia. One of the four Greater Sunda Islands, and the List of islands by area, world's 11th-largest island, it is situated east of Borneo, west of the Maluku Islands, and south of Min ...

and Galápagos *'' Spermacoce tetraquetra'' A. Rich. - pineland false buttonweed - Florida, West Indies, Mexico, Central America *'' Spermacoce verticillata'' L. - shrubby false buttonweed - Florida, West Indies, most of Latin America; naturalized in Africa, Australia, assorted oceanic islands

References

External links

World Checklist of RubiaceaeThe Spermacoce of AustraliaFlora of China, v 19 p 325, 丰花草属 feng hua cao shu, Spermacoce

Gallery

File:Spermacoce articularis (S hispida- Madanghanti) in Hyderabad, AP W2 IMG 9064.jpg, '' Spermacoce articularis'' in

Hyderabad, India Hyderabad is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Telangana. It occupies on the Deccan Plateau along the banks of the Musi River (India), Musi River, in the northern part of Southern India. With an average altitude of , much ...

File:Spermacoce terminalis.jpg, '' Spermacoce terminalis'' File:Spermacoce ocymoides W IMG 2966.jpg, '' Spermacoce ocymoides'' at Ananthagiri Hills, in Rangareddy district of

Andhra Pradesh Andhra Pradesh (ISO 15919, ISO: , , AP) is a States and union territories of India, state on the East Coast of India, east coast of southern India. It is the List of states and union territories of India by area, seventh-largest state and th ...

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

. Image:Spermacoce pusilla (Tiny False Buttonweed) in Hyderabad, AP W IMG 0005.jpg, '' Spermacoce pusilla'' in

. {{Taxonbar, from=Q3314456 Rubiaceae genera