Stachytarpheta mutabilis

Stachytarpheta mutabilis is a species of flowering plant in the verbena family known by the common names changeable velvetberry,[2] coral porterweed, pink snakeweed, red snakeweed,[3] and pink rat tail.[4] It is native to Mexico, the Caribbean, and South America.[3] It can be found in many other places as an introduced species. It is cultivated as an ornamental plant.[4]

Stachytarpheta mutabilis
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Asterids
Order: Lamiales
Family: Verbenaceae
Genus: Stachytarpheta
Species:
S. mutabilis
Binomial name
Stachytarpheta mutabilis
Synonyms[1]
  • Cymburus mutabilis (Jacq.) Salisb.
  • Stachytarpheta purpurea Greenm.
  • Stachytarpheta zuccagni Roem. & Schult.
  • Valerianoides mutabilis (Jacq.) Kuntze
  • Verbena mutabilis Jacq.
  • Zappania mutabilis (Jacq.) Lam.

Description

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This species is a perennial herb or subshrub generally growing 10 to 20 centimeters tall, sometimes reaching half a meter. The hairy stems have oppositely arranged leaves. The leaf blades are leathery in texture and oblong or lance-shaped. They measure up to 12 centimeters long. The inflorescence is a narrow spike up to 60 centimeters long. The flowers come in many shades of red and pink,[4] or violet (Stachytarpheta mutabilis var. violacea).

This species sometimes escapes cultivation and becomes established in the wild. It can be weedy, growing in disturbed habitat such as pastures and roadsides.[4]

This plant is an introduced invasive species in Fiji, Hawaii, Queensland, and Singapore.[4]

The flowers are attractive to a variety of insects. The butterflies Ornithoptera priamus poseidon and Papilio ulysses have been observed foraging on the plant, as has the bee Amegilla sapiens.[5] Parts of the plant contain the iridoid glycoside ipolamiide, which inhibits insect predation on the plant.[6]

References

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  1. ^ "The Plant List: A Working List of All Plant Species". Retrieved 25 September 2015.
  2. ^ Stachytarpheta mutabilis. USDA Plants Profile.
  3. ^ a b "Stachytarpheta mutabilis". Germplasm Resources Information Network. Agricultural Research Service, United States Department of Agriculture. Retrieved 25 January 2018.
  4. ^ a b c d e Stachytarpheta mutabilis. Pacific Island Ecosystems at Risk.
  5. ^ Stone, G. N., et al. (1988). Thermal effects on activity patterns and behavioural switching in a concourse of foragers on Stachytarpheta mutabilis (Verbenaceae) in Papua New Guinea. Oecologia 77(1) 56-63.
  6. ^ Bernays, E. and C. De Luca. (1981). Insect antifeedant properties of an iridoid glycoside: ipolamiide. Cellular and Molecular Life Sciences 37(12) 1289-90.