Sphagneticola trilobata
(wedelia)

Preferred Scientific Name

• Sphagneticola trilobata (L.) Pruski

Preferred Common Name

• wedelia

Other Scientific Names

• Acmella brasiliensis Spreng
• Acmella spilanthoides Cass.
• Buphthalmum procumbens Desf. Ex Steud
• Buphthalmum repens Lam.
• Complaya trilobata (L.) Strother
• Sereneum trilobata (L.) Kuntze
• Silphium trilobatum L.
• Sphagneticola ulei O. Hoffm.
• Stemmodontia carnosa (Rich.) O.F. Cook & G.N. Collins
• Thelechitonia trilobata (L.) H. Rob & Cautrec.
• Verbesina carnosa (Rich.) M. Gómez
• Verbesina tridentata Sprengel
• Wedelia brasiliensis (Spreng.) S.F. Blake
• Wedelia carnosa Rich. ex Pers.
• Wedelia trilobata (L.) A.S. Hitchc.
• Wedelina paludosa DC.

International Common Names

• English: Bay Biscayne creeping-oxeye; creeping daisy; creeping ox-eye; creeping wedelia; gold-cup; rabbit's paw; Singapore daisy; trailing daisy; water zinnia; wild marigold; yellow dots
• Spanish: clavelín de playa; clavelito de muerto; clavellin (Panama); manzanilla; manzanilla de playa; margarita amarilla; margarita de pasto; romerillo; romerillo; saladillo macho; yerba buena cimarrona
• French: patte canard
• Chinese: nan mei peng qi ju

Local Common Names

• Bahamas: trailing wedelia
• Brazil: insulin; vedélia
• Cuba: romero de playa
• Germany: Wedelie, Goldstern-
• Jamaica: creeping oxeye
• Lesser Antilles: bobena; carpet daisy; graveyard daisy; graveyard grass; herb soleil; lad love; pa a kanna; pasture sage; piss weed; venvenn kawayib; verven carib; vin vin caribe; yellow marigold; zeb a fan
• Marshall Islands: ut mokadkad; ut telia
• Micronesia, Federated states of: atiat; dihpw ongohng; dihpwoangoahng suwed (Pohnpei); rostangrang; tuhke ongohng
• Palau: ngesil ra ngebard
• Saint Lucia: venvenn kawayib
• South Africa: Singapoer-madeliefie
• Tonga: ate
• USA: Bay Biscayne creeping oxeye; yellow dots

EPPO code

• WEDTR (Wedelia trilobata)

• Domain: Eukaryota
•     Kingdom: Plantae
•         Phylum: Spermatophyta
•             Subphylum: Angiospermae
•                 Class: Dicotyledonae
•                     Order: Asterales
•                         Family: Asteraceae
•                             Genus: Sphagneticola
•                                 Species: Sphagneticola trilobata

The basonym is Siphium trilobatum L., and the species has since been transferred to numerous genera including Compalaya,Sphagneticola, Thelechitonia, Verbesina and Wedelia. Although Sphagneticolatrilobata is the accepted name (HEAR, 2008, USDA-NRCS, 2008; Missouri Botanical Garden, 2008; USDA-ARS, 2008), Wedeliatrilobata is still widely used in the Pacific (HEAR, 2008), the USA and elsewhere. A large number of other synonyms are provided by Missouri Botanical Garden (2008).
 

S. trilobata is perennial and grows to 45-60 cm high. Stems are green, rounded, rooting at nodes, 10-30 cm long, the flowering portions ascending, coarsely strigose to spreading hirsute, sometimes subglabrous. Leaves are medium textured, fleshy, usually 4-9 cm long (1.5-) 2-5 cm wide, simple obovate, irregularly toothed or serrate, usually with a pair of lateral lobes. The leaf arrangement is opposite to subopposite. Leaf venation is bowed and brochidodrome. Leaves are green in colour and do not change colour during autumn in the USA. S. trilobata usually flowers throughout the year. Flowers, solitary, arise in the leaf axils at any height but appear to have the most blossoms at about 10 cm above ground level. Peduncles 3-10 cm long, involucre, campanulate-hemispherical, 1 cm high; chaffy bracts lanceolate, rigid, ray florets often 8-13 per head, yellow in colour, rays 6-15 mm long; disk corolla 4-5 mm long; pappus a crown of short fimbriate scales (HEAR, 2008). Achenes tuberculate, 4-5 mm long with a brown, dry and hard fruit cover. Fruits are inconspicuous.

S. trilobata has been repeatedly introduced to other countries as an ornamental plant although the original dates of introduction are rarely known. GBIF (2008) lists earliest herbarium specimens in Australia from the mid 1980s, Hong Kong in 1993 and both Papua New Guinea and Indonesia as recently as 1997. Propagules are intentionally dispersed because S. trilobata is one of the most common and dependable ground covers in landscaping and it has been commonly introduced to many tropical gardens as an ornamental and has spread from these foci.

Soil drainage

• free
• seasonally waterlogged

Soil reaction

• acid
• alkaline
• neutral

Soil texture

• heavy
• light
• medium

Special soil tolerances

• infertile
• saline
• shallow

S. trilobata usually reproduces vegetatively (HEAR, 2008) but viable seeds may also be present in the soil (Macanawai, 2013). The propagules are very often dispersed intentionally by people, or unintentionally in garden waste. It is commonly planted as an ornamental (Englberger, 2009).

There are costs associated with the control of S. trilobata in agricultural situations, though no figures are available. It is listed as a ‘principal’ weed in Trinidad (Holm et al., 1991). In Sri Lanka, it is a favoured host of Cuscuta campestris and could therefore contribute to the spread of this serious parasitic weed (Jayasinghe et al., 2004).

Impact on Habitats

S. trilobata is an aggressive weed which forms a dense ground cover. This plant will spread rapidly excluding other ground cover vegetation. It has a vine-like habit and grows up into shrubs and trees thus retarding their growth. Batianoff and Franks (1997) reported that S. trilobata invaded the sandy beach fronts along the east coast of Queensland in Australia. Competition with other vegetation may be enhanced by allelopathic effects (Zhang et al., 2004), and the same allelopathic substances may also damage brine shrimps (Nie et al., 2004).

Impact on Biodiversity

S. trilobata has been ranked as a threatening invasive species that has invaded and affected the native biota of many areas in Hawaii, many other Pacific islands, the West Indies and southern Florida, USA, Central America, West Africa and Asia. In addition, it will also invade rainforest margins. The regeneration of native species in invaded areas can be inhibited due to rapid growth of S. trilobata and this can lead to reduction of biodiversity in invaded areas.

In South China, S. trilobata hybridization with the native congener Sphagneticola calendulacea is reported to threaten conservation of the native species (Wu et al., 2013).
 

S. trilobata has an ornamental value. Subramanium (1996) reported that it could be maintained on fences, arches, compounds, building walls, trees, pillars and roofs to provide aesthetic appeal.

• Invasive in its native range
• Proved invasive outside its native range
• Has a broad native range
• Abundant in its native range
• Highly adaptable to different environments
• Is a habitat generalist
• Pioneering in disturbed areas
• Long lived
• Fast growing
• Has propagules that can remain viable for more than one year
• Reproduces asexually

• Damaged ecosystem services
• Ecosystem change/ habitat alteration
• Monoculture formation
• Negatively impacts agriculture
• Negatively impacts forestry
• Negatively impacts tourism
• Reduced amenity values
• Reduced native biodiversity
• Threat to/ loss of endangered species

• Allelopathic
• Competition - monopolizing resources
• Competition - smothering
• Interaction with other invasive species
• Rapid growth

• Highly likely to be transported internationally deliberately
• Difficult to identify/detect as a commodity contaminant
• Difficult/costly to control

S. trilobata provides an excellent ground cover and is especially good for soil retention and erosion control. Farmers in Indonesia believe it enhances soil fertility (Handayani et al., 2006). S. trilobata is very attractive because of nearly constant and prolific blooming of yellow daisy-like flowers. Therefore it is used in many landscape practices and 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. S. trilobata 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.

S. trilobata has traditionally been used to treat infections, indigestion and to treat hepatitis. It shows considerable anti-hepatotoxic and protective effects against carbon tetrachloride induced liver destruction. The active ingredient present in S. trilobata is a coumestan called wedelolactone (Wagner et al., 1986). Due to the presence of active chemicals such as n-hexane and ethyl acetate in extracts of S. trilobata, 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 (Taddei and Romero, 1999). S. trilobata has also been traditionally used to clear the placenta after birth. Sureshkumar et al. (2007) also report effectiveness as an analgesic in studies on mice.

Dissanayake et al. (2002) reported that S. trilobata has the capability to absorb a high amount of Cu+2, Ni+2, Mn+2 and Fe+2 / Fe+3 from polluted areas in Sri Lanka. Hence, S. trilobata 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.