Common Name:

General Information

Sphagneticola trilobata is a herbaceous perennial plant growing around 45 - 60cm tall[, ]. The stems are more or less prostrate, producing new roots at the leaf nodes and forming dense carpets of growth[, ].
The plant is harvested from the wild for local medicinal use. It is sometimes cultivated as an ornamental ground cover and can be used in soil stabilization projects and to remediate polluted soils..

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

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Range

S. America - Brazil, Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador, Colombia, Venezuela, Guyana; C. America - Panama to Mexico, Caribbean - Cuba to the Windward Isles.

Habitat

Damp or wet soil, sometimes in marshes, often along sea beaches, at elevations from sea level to about 600 metres in Guatemala[].

Properties

Weed Potential	Yes
Medicinal Rating
Other Uses Rating
Habit	Perennial
Height	0.40 m
Cultivation Status	Cultivated, Ornamental, Wild

Cultivation Details

A plant of the moist tropics, where it can be found at elevations up to 700 metres[]. Plant tops can be killed by frosts, but the roots will survive at least some frost and regrow with warmer weather[].
Succeeds in full sun to moderate shade, flowering more heavily in a sunny position[, ]. Succeeds in most soil types[]. Prefers a well-drained soil, but is very tolerant, succeeding in dry and moist conditions, tolerating inundation and withstanding drought[, ]. The plant is very salt-resistant, growing well near the sea[, ].
Sphagneticola trilobata spreads rapidly at the roots and is often cultivated as an ornamental ground cover. It readily escapes from gardens and becomes established in the wild, quickly spreading to form a dense ground cover that crowds out or prevents the regeneration of other species. In plantations, it will compete with crops for nutrients, light and water, and reduce crop yields. The plant is listed as one of the world's top hundred worst invasive alien species by the IUCN, and the Florida Exotic Plant Pest Council classified it as a category II invader. This species continues to be available as an ornamental and is therefore likely to spread further[, ].
Plants can flower all year round[].

Edible Uses

None known

Medicinal

A strong decoction of the whole plant is used to treat severe chest colds[]. It is combined with Lantana camara, as a tea or syrup, as a remedy for colds[].

The leaves are included in a cough and cold remedy along with the boiled leaves of Commelina nudiflora or Hibiscus sabdariffa, and sometime also Citrus aurantiifolia[].

The plant contains acetylenes and derivatives of kaurenic acid[].

The plant has traditionally been used to treat infections, indigestion and hepatitis. It shows considerable anti-hepatotoxic and protective effects against liver damage. The active ingredient present in the plant is a coumestan called wedelolactone[].
Due to the presence of active chemicals such as n-hexane and ethyl acetate in extracts of the plant, it shows antibacterial activity against Bacillus subtilis, Mycobacterium smegmatis, Staphylococcus aureus, Staphylococcus epidermidis, Proteus vulgaris, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Salmonella group C, Salmonella paratyphi and Shigella sonnei[].
The plant has also been traditionally used to clear the placenta after birth[].

Agroforestry Uses:

An interesting ground cover plant for warm locations. The stems are brittle and break easily, so should be kept away from foot traffic[]. The plant can tolerate light pedestrian traffic[].
The plant is very attractive because of nearly constant and prolific blooming of its yellow daisy-like flowers. Therefore it is used in many landscape practices and for mass planting such as under trees, open areas, around rocks and ponds as a covering in parkways and on walls or in pots. Furthermore, this species is excellent for erosion control on slopes and banks because it roots where the stems come in contact with soil[].
The plant can also be used successfully as a companion crop to combat silver leaf whitefly (Bemisia tabaci), an important vegetable pest in Puerto Rico, the southern USA and the Caribbean Basin[].
The plant has the capability to absorb a high amount of metals such as copper, Nickel, Iron and Manganese from polluted areas in Sri Lanka. Hence it can be recommended as a phyto-remediator that can be used in a profitable manner to treat waste effluents and environments contaminated with heavy metal ions[].

Other Uses

None known

Propagation

Seed -
Division
Tip cuttings are very easy[].

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