Common name: Field Madder
Sherardia arvensis L. APNI*
Description: Ascending to procumbent annual herb; stems weak, to 30 cm long, little branched, glabrous or with retrorse scabrous hairs.
Leaves and stipules in whorls of 4–6, obovate near base, lanceolate to elliptic towards apex, 5–15 mm long, 1.5–4 mm wide, apex acute to acuminate, lamina glabrous or scabrous mostly along margins.
Inflorescence with 4–10 flowers surrounded by 8–10 involucral bracts. Corolla 4–5 mm long, pink to lilac.
Fruit 2–5 mm long, crowned by persistent calyx.
Flowering: September–December
Distribution and occurrence: Weed of gardens and disturbed areas, south from Tamworth. Native of Eur. & W Asia.
NSW subdivisions: *CC, *SC, *NT, *CT, *ST, *NWS, *CWS, *SWS, *LHI
Other Australian states: *Vic. *Tas. *S.A. *N.T.
Text by T. A. James & W. K. Allen Taxon concept: Flora of NSW 3 (1992)
APNI* Provides a link to the Australian Plant Name Index (hosted by the Australian National Botanic Gardens) for comprehensive bibliographic data ***The AVH map option provides a detailed interactive Australia wide distribution map drawn from collections held by all major Australian herbaria participating in the Australian Virtual Herbarium project.
|