Rubiaceae

Pacific false buttonweed

Spermacoce exilis (L.O.Williams) C.D.Adams ex W.C.Burger & C.M.Taylor

Family: Rubiaceae
Genus: Spermacoce

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Pacific false buttonweed (Spermacoce exilis) — FlowerPhoto: chiuluan, CC BY 4.0, from iNaturalist

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Common names

By language (3)

Chinese: 二萼丰花草, 二萼豊花草, 二萼豐花草, 蔓鴨舌癀舅, 蔓鴨舌廣舅
English: Pacific false buttonweed
Malayalam: സ്പെർമക്കോസ് എക്സിലിസ്

Synonyms

Borreria exilis L.O.Williams
Borreria gracilis L.O.Williams
Borreria repens DC.
Spermacoce decandollei Deb & Ratna Dutta
Spermacoce mauritiana Gideon
Spermacoce repens (DC.) Fosberg & J.M.Powell

Flowers

In flower: August to November (from 13 flowering iNaturalist observations worldwide)

Characteristics

Growth habit: Forb/herb
Lifespan: Annual
In the US and Canada: Hawaii: introduced, Pacific Basin: introduced

Photos

FlowerPhoto: chiuluan, CC BY 4.0, from iNaturalist
FlowerPhoto: chiuluan, CC BY 4.0, from iNaturalist
FlowerPhoto: portioid, CC BY 4.0, from iNaturalist
Photo: FarEnd2018, CC BY-SA 4.0, from Wikimedia Commons
Photo: 曾昱承 Yu-Cheng Zeng, CC BY 4.0, from iNaturalist
Photo: Nick T., CC BY-SA 4.0, from iNaturalist
Photo: Ong Jyh Seng, CC BY-SA 4.0, from iNaturalist
Photo: Ong Jyh Seng, CC BY-SA 4.0, from iNaturalist
Photo: Nick T., CC BY-SA 4.0, from iNaturalist
Photo: Franz Anthony, CC BY 4.0, from iNaturalist
Photo: greenline, CC BY 4.0, from iNaturalist
Photo: Ong Jyh Seng, CC BY-SA 4.0, from iNaturalist

More in Spermacoce

Sources: classification, synonyms from World Flora Online Plant List (2026-06, CC0 1.0); common names, popularity from Wikidata (2026-10-26, CC0 1.0); common names, US characteristics from USDA PLANTS Database (2025-05-29, CC0 1.0). About our plant data.