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Laportea aestuans

(L.) Chew (1965)

This name is accepted

Kingdom: Viridiplantae Phylum: Magnoliophyta Class/Clade: Eudicot-Rosids Order: Rosales Family: Urticaceae Genus: Laportea

Description

Key Characters:

Growth Form: Herbs annual, to 1.3 m tall.

Stems: Stems erect, few-branched, upper stems and petioles densely armed with stinging hairs and long gland-tipped hairs.

Roots:

Leaves: Leaves simple. Alternate. Blades broadly ovate, 8-17 × 6-13 cm. Apex acuminate. Base rounded or cordate. Blade thinly papery, both surfaces armed with stinging hairs, denser on abaxial surface. Cystoliths punctiform, adaxially conspicuous. Margins dentate. 3-veined, lateral basal pair reaching middle margin, lateral veins 3 or 4 each side of midvein. Petioles 7-11 cm. Stipules ca. 10 mm, apex 2-cleft, deciduous.

Flowers: Inflorescences axillary, often bisexual, rarely all male, paniculate, male inflorescences in proximal axils, shorter, bisexual inflorescences in distal axils, 10-20 cm, peduncle 7-14 cm, with stinging hairs and often long gland-tipped hairs. Plants monoecious. Male flowers pedicellate, in bud ca. 1.5 mm; perianth lobes 4 or 5, connate at base, cymbiform, with a few long gland-tipped hairs and sparsely setulose, apex corniculate; stamens 4 or 5. Female flowers: pedicel ca. 2 mm, not winged; perianth lobes 4, free, unequal, dorsal lobe ovate, ca. 0.25 mm, 2 lateral lobes largest, enclosing the ovary, broadly ovate, ca. 0.5 mm, ventral lobe minute. Ovary superior, asymmetrically ovoid; style filiform; stigma slightly reflexed, ligulate, ca. 0.3 mm.

Fruit: Achenes obliquely ovoid; compressed; ca. 1.5 mm in diam.; both central surfaces with inconspicuously warty depression; persistent lateral perianth lobes forming a small; basal cup. Seeds with thin or no endosperm; cotyledons broad.

Ploidy:

Habitat:

Elevation Range:

Historical Distribution

Uses and Culture

USES

Natural History

Statewide Status

Potentially Naturalizing

Island Status

Kaua'i Potentially Naturalizing
O'ahu Potentially Naturalizing
Hawai'i Potentially Naturalizing

Dispersal Agents

Water/Ocean

Pollinators

Specimens

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Bibliography

Name Published In: Gard. Bull. Singapore 21: 200 (1965)

Other References

Lau & Frohlich 2013:11 (NEWNAT/O, DESCR); Frohlich & Lau 2014:15 (H)

Occurrences

SNo. Scientific Name Scientific Name Authorship Locality Habitat Basis of Record Recorded By Record Number Island Source Date
1 Laportea aestuans (L.) Chew Plant nursery, Kurtistown, Hawaii In container in nursery- not planted, possibly germinated from potting soil. PRESERVED_SPECIMEN HDOA s.n. Hawaii BISH 11/28/2012
2 Laportea aestuans (L.) Chew plant nursery, kurtistown, hawaii In container in nursery- not planted, possibly germinated from potting soil. PRESERVED_SPECIMEN hdoa fujimoto, k. collector number: s.n. Hawaii BISH 11/28/2012
3 Laportea aestuans (L.) Chew Waimanolo, in a nursery. Nursery PRESERVED_SPECIMEN D. Arakaki s.n. Oahu PTBG 5/3/2012
4 Laportea aestuans (L.) Chew Waimanalo, in a nursery. dry to mesic windward lowlands, nursery setting. PRESERVED_SPECIMEN Arakaki, D. s.n. Oahu BISH 5/3/2012
5 Laportea aestuans (L.) Chew waimanalo, in a nursery. dry to mesic windward lowlands, nursery setting. PRESERVED_SPECIMEN arakaki, d. lao, c. collector number: s.n. Oahu BISH 5/3/2012
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