Common Name:

General Information

Ludwigia leptocarpa is either a herbaceous perennial plant[], or an annual [, ]. An erect, much branched plant, often becoming woody at the base, it can grow from 20cm to 3 metres tall. When growing in or under water it produces erect floating pneumatophores from the roots[, ].
The plant is sometimes harvested from the wild for local use as a medicine, source of salt and as a dye. It can be used to control soil erosion in wet ares.

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

Range

Probably originally from the Americas, where it is found throughout the tropical and subtropical areas; also found throughout tropical Africa.

Habitat

Found in wet soils, shallow water, sometimes submerged, in marshes, stream banks, wet fields or thickets, sometimes on sand bars along streams, at elevations up to 1,500 meters, though usually below 900 metres[, ].

Properties

Weed Potential	Yes
Edibility Rating
Medicinal Rating
Other Uses Rating
Habit	Annual/Perennial
Height	1.50 m
Self-fertile	Yes
Cultivation Status	Wild

Cultivation Details

The plant can become a troublesome weed in irrigated rice fields[]. It has an invasive habit as a colonizer of dried-up stream beds and similar damp locations[].

Edible Uses

The whole plant is burnt to produce a vegetable salt[].

Medicinal

An infusion of the plant (part not specified) is part of a mixture to treat rheumatism[].

A leaf infusion has laxative, vermifugal and anti-dysenteric properties[].

Agroforestry Uses:

The plant has an invasive habit as a colonizer of dried-up stream beds and similar damp locations. It has been found useful in erosion control[].

Other Uses

A black dye is obtained from the leaves[]. It is used to blacken mats, baskets and bags made of palm leaves[].

Propagation

Seed -

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