Longleaf Primrose Willow Ludwigia longifolia
Other Common Name(s):
- Phonetic Spelling
- lud-WIG-ee-uh lon-jee-FOH-lee-uh
- This plant is an invasive species in North Carolina
- Description
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Primrose Willow is an invasive, upright, annual, water plant in the evening primrose family and native to South America. Leaves are long and thin and yellow flowers appear in summer through winter.
Primrose Willow grows in sandy, silty soil in water bodies, including wetlands and riparian areas, swamps, marshes, drains and channels. It will grow in up to 12 inches of water above the crown. To control it, it is best to plant it in a 5-gallon container.
Do not plant in the landscape; it is invasive and has become problematic in many parts of the world including the southeastern United States. Primrose Willow can invade waterways and wetlands, forming dense colonies in slow moving and still waterways. It can out compete native plants, reduce fish habitat, increase flood risk, and limit waterway access. Primrose Willow spreads mostly by seeds. Mature plants can produce up to 2.45 million seeds per plant that are spread in moving water, wind and by birds.
- See this plant in the following landscape:
- Cultivars / Varieties:
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- Tags:
- Cultivars / Varieties:
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- Tags:
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Attributes:
- Genus:
- Ludwigia
- Species:
- longifolia
- Family:
- Onagraceae
- Life Cycle:
- Annual
- Country Or Region Of Origin:
- Bolivia to Brazil and Northern Argentina
- Distribution:
- Florida and Japan.
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Whole Plant Traits:
- Plant Type:
- Annual
- Water Plant
- Weed
- Habit/Form:
- Erect
- Spreading
- Growth Rate:
- Rapid
- Maintenance:
- High
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Cultural Conditions:
- Light:
- Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day)
- Partial Shade (Direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)
- Soil Texture:
- Loam (Silt)
- Sand
- Soil Drainage:
- Frequent Standing Water
- Moist
- Occasionally Wet
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Fruit:
- Fruit Color:
- Brown/Copper
- Gold/Yellow
- Display/Harvest Time:
- Winter
- Fruit Description:
- Seed pods are 1.5 inches long and 1/3 of an inch wide, oblong to narrow-oblong, with lots of seeds in separate chambers. Seeds are dust like.
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Flowers:
- Flower Color:
- Gold/Yellow
- Flower Inflorescence:
- Solitary
- Flower Bloom Time:
- Fall
- Summer
- Winter
- Flower Petals:
- 4-5 petals/rays
- Flower Size:
- 1-3 inches
- Flower Description:
- Yellow flowers with 4 (or rarely 5) petals each and 4 red or green sepals. single in the junctions of upper leaves present from summer–winter.
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Leaves:
- Leaf Color:
- Gold/Yellow
- Green
- Leaf Feel:
- Smooth
- Leaf Arrangement:
- Alternate
- Leaf Shape:
- Lanceolate
- Linear
- Oblanceolate
- Hairs Present:
- No
- Leaf Length:
- > 6 inches
- Leaf Width:
- 1-3 inches
- Leaf Description:
- Long, thin, green, lanceolate leaves on erect red stems. Leaves are 8 inches long, 1 inch wide, with a pointed tip. Larger lower down and smaller higher up the stem. stalkless alternate on the stems.
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Stem:
- Stem Color:
- Green
- Red/Burgundy
- Stem Is Aromatic:
- No
- Stem Cross Section:
- Square
- Stem Description:
- Stems are erect.
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Landscape:
- Landscape Location:
- Container
- Landscape Theme:
- Water Garden
- Problems:
- Invasive Species
- Weedy
