Latin name

Limnocharis flava (L.) Buchenau

Family

Butomaceae

Common name(s)

Yellow bur-head

Synonym(s)

Alisma flava L. (basionym), Limnocharis emarginata Bonpl., L. plumieri Rich.

Geographical distribution

South and Southeast Asia: Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Thailand, and Vietnam.

Rest of the world: Bolivia, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Peru, United States, and Venezuela.

Morphology

An erect, hairless, slimy, perennial herb or annual (in desiccated habitats), 20—100—cm—tall.

Stem: underground and stunted.

Leaf: petiole arises prominently from the stem, 20—100—cm—long, thick and 3—angled; blade ovate to broad-elliptic, light green, 6—28—cm—long, 4—20—cm—wide.

Inflorescence: yellow and robust umbel with 5—75—cm—long triangular peduncle; pedicel 3—7—cm—long; petals rounded, light yellow with darker base.

Fruit: globose or ellipsoid, 1.5—2—cm in diameter.

Seed: brown or blackish brown, 1—mm—long, with thin transverse ridges.

Biology and ecology

Aquatic perennial plant, though annual in dry locations; commonly found in shallow pools, swamps, ditches, and rice fields.

Propagated by seeds and stolons.

Agricultural importance

Troublesome aquatic weed, capable of spreading over a large area.

Young leaves, petioles, and flower stalks are cooked as vegetables. The slime of the weed is used as soap. It is also useful as animal feed and green manure.

Management

Cultural control: hand weeding.

Chemical control: control reported by pretilachlor and cinosulfuron.

Selected references

AICAF (Association for International Cooperation of Agriculture and Forestry). 1997. Weeds in the tropics. Tokyo (Japan): Sanbi Printing Co. Ltd. 304 p.

Gupta OP. 1987. Aquatic weed management. New Delhi (India): R.K. Jain, Today and Tomorrow's Printers and Publishers. 247 p.

Hare CJ, Chong WC, Ooi GT, Bhandhufalck A, Nawsaran S, Chanprasit P. 1989. Sofit Super: broad spectrum weed management for wet sown rice in S.E. Asia. Proceedings, 12th Asian-Pacific Weed Science Society Conference No. 1:165-170.

Moody K. 1989. Weeds reported in rice in South and Southeast Asia. Manila (Philippines): International Rice Research Institute. 442 p.

Pancho JV, Soerjani M. 1978. Aquatic weeds of Southeast Asia: a systematic account of common Southeast Asian aquatic weeds. Bogor (Indonesia): SEAMEO Regional Center for Tropical Biology. 130 p.

Soerjani M, Kostermans AJGH, Tjitrosoepomo G. 1987. Weeds of rice in Indonesia. Jakarta (Indonesia): Balai Pustaka. 716 p.

Van Steenis CGGJ. 1954. Butomaceae. Flora Malesiana Ser. 1 5:118-120.

W3TROPICOS at http://mobot.mobot.org/Pick/Search/pick.html.

Contributors

JLA Catindig, RT Lubigan, and DE Johnson