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Heliotropium amplexicaule

Vahl (1794)

This name is accepted

Kingdom: Viridiplantae Phylum: Magnoliophyta Class/Clade: Eudicot-Asterids Order: Boraginales Family: Heliotropiaceae Genus: Heliotropium

blue heliotrope, heliotrope

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Description

Key Characters:

Growth Form: Perennial herbs 2–5 dm tall, glandular puberulent and hirsute.

Stems:

Roots: Taproots deep, woody, and glandular.

Leaves: Leaves simple. Usually alternate. Blades oblong to oblanceolate, 2–6(–9) cm long, 0.4–2 cm wide. Surfaces rugose. Margins entire to sinuate. Subsessile. Stipules absent.

Flowers: Flowers sessile in terminal or lateral clusters of 2–5 bracteate, scorpioid cymes. Peduncles 1–10 cm long. Flowers bisexual (perfect), actinomorphic or occasionally slightly irregular. Calyx persistent, the lobes linear to lanceolate, 2.5–5 mm long, spreading in fruit, glandular puberulent and sparsely hirsute; sepals distinct or connate at base, sometimes to above the middle. Corolla blue, purple, or rarely white, 5–6 mm long, the tube ca. 5 mm long, sparsely hirsute externally; (4)5(6)-lobed, the tube often with scales at the summit opposite the lobes, formed by invagination of the corolla tube, the lobes imbricate or convolute, rarely valvate. Stamens as many as corolla lobes, inserted on the corolla tube, not exserted. Ovary superior, 4-celled, entire, rounded, or 2–4-lobed; ovules usually 4, 2 per carpel, eventually 1 per cell, sometimes fewer by abortion, anatropous, erect, ascending, or nearly horizontal, rarely pendulous; style simple, terminal, seated in the pericarp; stigma with a fertile discoid base and a sterile, apical, often forked appendage.

Fruit: Fruit dry; lobed or unlobed; breaking up into 2 2–seeded nutlets 2–3 mm long; glabrous. Seeds 1–4; endosperm absent or; if present; fleshy and scanty.

Ploidy: 2n = 26; 28

Habitat: Cultivated in gardens and naturalized in low elevation; dry; disturbed sites.

Elevation Range:

Historical Distribution

Images

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Uses and Culture

USES

Natural History

Statewide Status

Naturalized

Island Status

Kaua'i Potentially naturalizing
O'ahu Naturalized
Molokai Naturalized
Maui Naturalized
Hawai'i Naturalized

Dispersal Agents

Water/Ocean
Other Animals

Pollinators

Bibliography

Name Published In: Symb. Bot. 3: 21 (1794)

Other References

Wagner et al. 1990:395 (O, Mo, M, H); Brock et al. 2023:127 (K)

Occurrences

SNo. Scientific Name Locality Habitat Basis of Record Description Recorded By Record Number Island Source Date
1 Heliotropium amplexicaule Honolulu, Coelho Way, Franklin's garden Preserved_Specimen Fls. Light-violet, white center, alomost odorless, stamens dark-blue or black. Neal, M.C. Oahu BISH 1941-06-01
2 Heliotropium amplexicaule Honolulu School near Bishop Museum Preserved_Specimen Neal, M.C. Oahu BISH 1929-06-26
3 Heliotropium amplexicaule Waimanalo, weed along Waikupanaha St Preserved_Specimen Pjrostrate herb with purple flowers. Herbst, D.R. 5349 Oahu BISH 1975-06-12
4 Heliotropium amplexicaule Oahu Preserved_Specimen Fosberg, V.O. 141 Oahu BISH 1946-06-01
5 Heliotropium amplexicaule Dole Park, Honolulu. Weedy park way Preserved_Specimen Prostrate fls. Lavendar Fosberg, F.R. 10538 Oahu BISH 1933-01-01
6 Heliotropium amplexicaule Manoa Valley, Honolulu. Pasture Preserved_Specimen Degener, O. 1573 Oahu BISH 1922-09-24
7 Heliotropium amplexicaule Wailuku, edge of waste land Preserved_Specimen Medeiros, A.C. 531 Maui BISH 1983-09-10
8 Heliotropium amplexicaule Pauwela, along roadside Preserved_Specimen Krauss, N.L.H. 1101 Maui BISH 1967-04-04
9 Heliotropium amplexicaule Honolulu Herbarium of Bernice P. Bishop Museum Preserved_Specimen Forbes, C.N. 2382 Oahu BISH 1916-06-16
10 Heliotropium amplexicaule UH Farm Preserved_Specimen UH Farm Oahu BISH 1929-11-23
11 Heliotropium amplexicaule Honolulu, T. Hawaii Growing in neglected garden Preserved_Specimen Degener, O. 8479 Oahu BISH 1931-06-18
12 Heliotropium amplexicaule Manoa Valley Preserved_Specimen Forbes, A. Oahu BISH 1930-07-21
13 Heliotropium amplexicaule Honolulu, Kamehameha Girls' School Preserved_Specimen Judd Jr., A.F. Oahu BISH 1937-09-25
14 Heliotropium amplexicaule Honolulu, Punahou pasture Preserved_Specimen Swezey, O.H. Oahu BISH 1928-04-27
15 Heliotropium amplexicaule unknown Preserved_Specimen Medeiros, A.C. 531 BISH 1983-09-10
16 Heliotropium amplexicaule Growing along West Halemaumau street, Niu valley. Plants rooted in cracks of sidewalk, creeping into street. Growing with Oldenlandia corymbosa and euphorbia prostrata. Preserved_Specimen Plants pubescent with glandular hairs, fairly pungent when rubbed. Flowers blue/purple on scorpioid cymes. Thomas, M.K. 427 Oahu BISH 2022-08-12
17 Heliotropium amplexicaule Kau District, South Point (Ka Lea), near sea level Growing in grassland with exotic grasses and shrubs above shore. Preserved_Specimen Small herb. Flowers blue-violet with yellow center. Corn, C. 270 Hawaii BISH 1979-10-30
18 Heliotropium amplexicaule Oahu Weed Preserved_Specimen Height 30+/- cm. Flower: blue, yellow center Caum, E.L. 1316 Oahu BISH 1924-10-28
19 Heliotropium amplexicaule Oahu (more specific locality not given) Weed in school grounds. Preserved_Specimen Fl. blue w/yellow center; frt 2-valved, sparingly cut. Walker, R. Oahu BISH 1982-12-01
20 Heliotropium amplexicaule Lihue District. Lydgate State Park and across the street in Hikinaakala Heiau Wailua River State Park about fifteen plants in 20 clumps growing in lawn grass between parking lot boulders and pohaku near the heiau. Preserved_Specimen Grass lawn with grasses. [flower] Purple with yellow Tangalin, N. 5187 Kauai BISH 2021-06-25
21 Heliotropium amplexicaule Hwy. 36 near mile marker four btween Kahului and Paia Very common along roadside. Preserved_Specimen Prostrate. Corolla purple. Flynn, T.W. 1148 Maui BISH 1985-07-20
22 Heliotropium amplexicaule Lihue, behind airpost runway near DOFAW Shearwater release pen Boerhavia, Malvastrum, Panicum maximum Preserved_Specimen mat-forming herb with ascending branch tips to ~6; stems pale green; leaves dull gray green, ~unpleasant odor; below with raised yellowish veins; corolla purple Flynn, T.W. 7123 Kauai BISH 2004-08-06
23 Heliotropium amplexicaule Makawao District, Hookipa. To the west of Hookipa Beach On sand cliff . Growing beneath Scaevola sericea. Preserved_Specimen Bruegmann, M.M. 187 Maui BISH 1987-02-15
24 Heliotropium amplexicaule Along Whiting St Weed in grass. Sunny area Preserved_Specimen Fragrant Faccenda, K. 1826 Oahu BISH 2021-05-15
25 Heliotropium amplexicaule Kona, Kilae, near grove of ten coconuts Trailside weed. Preserved_Specimen Bryan Jr., E.H. Hawaii BISH 1957-01-23
26 Heliotropium amplexicaule Mouth of Halawa Valley. Near ruined habitation rocky, flat. Preserved_Specimen fls. lavender with yellow center. Fosberg, F.R. 13410 Molokai BISH 1936-12-25
27 Heliotropium amplexicaule sides of Malaihi Rd Preserved_Specimen Decumbent herb becoming slightly woody at base. Associated with Malvastrum, Cenchrus. Ishikawa, S. 323 Maui BISH 1973-11-29
28 Heliotropium amplexicaule Honolulu, Punahou Area, Manoa Rd Preserved_Specimen A subshrub with branches ascending or decumbent, partially cascading over a stone wall in full sun. The plant has a moderate odor. Flower mauve o lavender with canary yellow fllowers and with a thin white zone between the canary yellow and mauve and or lavendar Lau, J. 1695 Oahu BISH 1985-12-02
29 Heliotropium amplexicaule North Kohala District, land of Kapaanui, along Highway 27 Preserved_Specimen Decumbent herb, becoming woody at base. Flowers purple. Herbst, D.R. 5615 Hawaii BISH 1976-01-19
30 Heliotropium amplexicaule North Kohala, Makapala Christian retreat center, along Akone Puli Hwy., mile marker 27, 2 mi from Pololu Valley Lookout Preserved_Specimen Flowers pueple, center yellow. Wagner, W.L. 5562 Hawaii BISH 1985-06-24
31 Heliotropium amplexicaule Cultivated in the living collections of Waimea Arboretum & Botanical Garden, Haleiwa. Access. 94p105. Provenance: Collectedd along Kam. Hwy, near pineapple fields betwween Wahiawa and Haleiwa, Preserved_Specimen Flw structure is like H. curassavicum, but flws are bright purple. Plant died in nursery. This pressing is all we have. Orr, D. 25 Oahu BISH 1994-12-16
32 Heliotropium amplexicaule Manoa Campus, Univ. of Hawaii, Oahu Preserved_Specimen Semi-prostrate herb. Flower purple. Swarbrick, J.T. 0.49 Oahu BISH 1976-01-06
33 Heliotropium amplexicaule Makapuu Beach Park. In weedy, overgrown lot beside parking area, half hidden amo;ng tall grasses Preserved_Specimen Decumbent herb from a +/- woody rootstock; stems to 18 long rough-hairy; flowers foetid smelling, blue-purple, tube yellow inside, fruits green. Staples, G.W. 1145 Oahu BISH 1997-10-05
34 Heliotropium amplexicaule Kalaupapa; airport, oceanview pavilion Preserved_Specimen perennial herb Wysong, M.L. 429 Molokai BISH 2004-11-11
35 Heliotropium amplexicaule Wheeler Army Airfield, at site of sediment deposition site. UTM: 598486, 2375467. Preserved_Specimen Herb to about 20 cm. Corollas purple. Kawelo, K. 401 Oahu BISH 2015-09-28
36 Heliotropium amplexicaule Pukoo In dry pasture. Preserved_Specimen Degener, O. 8480 Molokai BISH 1928-07-11
37 Heliotropium amplexicaule Honolulu, Punahou Area, Manoa Rd Preserved_Specimen A subshrub with branches ascending or decumbent, partially cascading over a stone wall in full sun. The plant has a moderate odor. Flower mauve and/or lavender with canary yellow withinn the corolla tube, and with a thin white zone between the canary yellow and mauve and/kor lavender. Lau, J. 1695 Oahu BISH 1985-11-02
38 Heliotropium amplexicaule Honolulu, near jct. Of Sheridan St. & Makaloa St Preserved_Specimen Wagner, W.L. 4829 Oahu BISH 1983-06-05
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