Spigelia Linnaeus (1753: 149)

Julius, Avelinah, Kamin, Imin, Kiew, Ruth & Utteridge, Timothy M. A., 2013, Gardneria and Spigelia (Loganiaceae), two genera new to the Flora of Peninsular Malaysia, Phytotaxa 129 (1), pp. 39-46 : 43

Spigelia Linnaeus (1753: 149) .

Erect herbs with terete stems. Leaves in opposite pairs below, in pseudowhorls at the base of the terminal inflorescences, subsessile, pinnately veined, margin entire. Inflorescence an unbranched, one-sided cincinnus. Flowers sessile, 5-merous, calyx deeply divided into narrow lobes; corolla tubular, widening above, lobes shorter than the tube, valvate in bud; stamens epipetalous; ovary superior, 2-locular, ovules many, style 1, articulate above base. Capsule with 2 valves. Seeds warty.

Distribution: —About 50 species in subtropical and tropical regions of S America and the West Indies; a single species in Malesia, previously only known from Sumatra, Java and the Lesser Sunda Islands (see Leenhouts 1962b: 378).

Spigelia anthelmia Linnaeus (1753: 149) ( Fig. 2 ). Type:— BRAZIL. “Habitat in Cajeuna, Brasilia", Herb. Linn. No. 210.2 (lectotype LINN photo!; selected by Leeuwenberg 1961: 464).

Short-lived, glabrous herb, stem unbranched or sparsely branched, to 30 cm tall. Interpetiolar stipules broadly triangular, apex rounded. Leaves: lower opposite pairs small, narrowly lanceolate 2.5−4 × 0.3−0.5 cm, separated by 10−20 cm-long internodes from the pseudowhorls of 4 ovate-elliptic leaves, 5−7 × 1.25−1.5 cm, base rounded, often decurrent to base, apex acute; lateral veins 4−5 pairs, strongly ascending. Inflorescences 6.5−7.5 cm long, often several together at the top of the stem; bracts lanceolate, ca. 2 mm long. Flowers: calyx lobes almost free, pale green, lobes lanceolate, ca. 3−4 mm long, apex acute; corolla white or pale pink, deeper pink outside, corolla tube 4−5 mm long, ca. 3 mm wide across the mouth, lobes triangular, apex acute, spreading ca. 2 mm long with one or two rosy or purplish longitudinal lines running along the centre and down into the tube; stamens ca. 4 mm long, attached slightly below the middle of the tube, anthers ca. 1.5 mm long, orange; ovary subglobose, ca. 1 mm diameter, style ca. 6 mm long, stigma ca. 2 mm long, orange. Fruit ca. 4 mm long with 2 globose lobes, minutely tuberculate and viscid. Seeds ca. 6 per lobe, angular and strongly warty, ca. 2 mm long.

Distribution: —Native in tropical America from Florida to Brazil and in the West Indies, naturalised in W Africa and in Malesia in Sumatra, Java, Sumba ( Leenhouts 1962b) and in Peninsular Malaysia.

Specimens examined:— MALAYSIA. Peninsular Malaysia: Selangor, Klang, 3 o 01.63’N, 101 o 26.28’E, 24 February 2010 (fl, fr), Saw FRI 48252 (KEP); Forest Research Institute Malaysia, Jalan Kapur, near the entrance to Kepong Botanic Garden, 3 o 23’N, 101 o 63’E, 7 June 2012 (fl, fr), Lim FRI 72883 (KEP) .

Habitat:— In full sun, on waste sandy ground; elsewhere on sandy seashores, riverbanks and in fields, at low altitudes.

Phenology: — Leenhouts (1962b) reported that it flowers and fruits throughout the year, its flowers open between 14 and 17 h and the plants are autogamous.

Notes:— The pseudowhorls of four leaves are striking and characteristic of this species. Backer and Bakhuizen (1965) reported that it was accidentally introduced into Java in 1845. However, it has not yet been recorded from Thailand ( Griffin & Parnell 1997) nor from China ( Li & Leeuwenberg, 1996); we have found no modern information to indicate the species has been naturalised in India. It was first noted in Peninsular Malaysia in 2010 in Selangor (Saw FRI 48252) and since then another population has also been observed in Selangor (Lim C.L., pers. comm.). The plant is poorly known from SE Asia and the collections we have observed from Peninsular Malaysia do not seem different to those from Indonesia.

In South America and the West Indies, its roots are used as a powerful vermifuge, hence its English name Worm Grass but it is also known to poison the nervous system. It was reported to be the chief ingredient of ‘ poudres de succession ’ that was used by the notorious French poisoner Mdm de Brinvilliers.

Figures

FIGURE 2. Spigelia anthelmia A. Flowers (close up). B. Habit. C. Flowers and fruits (insert: fruits upon maturity showing the tuberculate seeds). Photos from Saw FRI 48252 by Saw Leng Guan and Lim FRI 72883 by Lim Chung Lu.