Torenia crustacea (L.) Cham. & Schltdl.

Malaysian False Pimpernel

Herb

Annual

Vascular

Malaysian False Pimpernel is an introduced herbaceous annual in the False Pimpernel family (Linderniaceae). It is native to tropical Asia but now occurs worldwide in tropical and temperate areas. In Alabama it can be found in the southern half of the state. Malaysian False Pimpernel occurs in open, moist, disturbed habitats such as the banks of creek and rivers, in lawns, in fallow fields, and on roadsides. It is an annual with a tap root. Plants are branched from the base and form mats of decumbent stems. The stems often root at the lower nodes. The stems are square in outline, green or purple in color, and glabrous or pubescent on the angles. Leaves are opposite, short petiolate, ovate to lanceolate in outline, with serrate margins (at least towards the tip). The leaves are glabrous above and pubescent below. Flowers are produced in cymes from the axils of the upper leaves. The calyx is 5-angled and divided to the middle. The corolla is two lipped with the upper lip 2-lobed and the lower lip 3-lobed. There are 4 fertile stamens, 2 long and 2 short. Flowers are blue-purple in color with the throat marked in yellow and white. The fruit is a capsule with many small brown seed.--A. Diamond

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Not Native FACU (NWPL)

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