Boerhavia diffusa L.

Red Spiderling; Spreading Hogweed

Herb

Annual

Vascular

Red Spiderling is an introduced herbaceous perennial in the Four-O'clock family (Nyctaginaceae). It is part of a pantropical complex and its native distribution is uncertain. In Alabama Red Spiderling has been collected from the southern third of the state. Red Spiderling occurs along railroads, in cracks in parking lots and sidewalks, on vacant lots, and on roadsides. It is a perennial with a tick fusiform taproot. Stems are ascending to decumbent, much branched, green or purplish in color, and glabrous or minutely pubescent. Leaves are opposite, petiolate, ovate to lanceolate in outline, with wavy margins. The leaves are dark green above and pale green below. The leaves may be glabrous or minutely pubescent on both surfaces. Flowers are produced in axillary or terminal inflorescences. The inflorescences are much branched, occasionally with sticky bands between the nodes. They terminate in compact clusters of 2-5 flowers. Individual flowers are short stalked and bell shaped with 5 spreading lobes on the corolla. The corolla is purplish-red or reddish-pink in color. The fruit is club shaped with 5 ribs. It is stipitate-glandular on the ribs.—A. Diamond

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Not Native

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