Singapore daisy
Sphagneticola trilobata

Family: Compositae

What it is like

Sphagneticola trilobata is an evergreen Perennial growing to 0.4 m (1ft 4in) by 0.4 m (1ft 4in) at a fast rate. See above for USDA hardiness. It is hardy to UK zone 10. Suitable for: light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils, prefers well-drained soil and can grow in nutritionally poor soil. Suitable pH: mildly acid, neutral and basic (mildly alkaline) soils. It can grow in semi-shade (light woodland) or no shade. It prefers dry or moist soil and can tolerate drought.

Height (m): 0.4

Where it is found

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

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

Conservation Status:

Countries/locations it is found in

How it is used

Food

Rating: 0

Medicine

Rating: 2

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.

Other

Rating: 2

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. Other Uses: ornamental. It is one of the few ground cover plants that can survive central Arizona desert combination of extreme heat and sun at ground level.

Ground Cover: Ground Cover

How it is grown

A plant of the moist tropics, where it can be found at elevations up to 700 metres. A long-lived perennial herb with a creeping prostrate scrambling or climbing habit. This mat-forming stoloniferous plant often creates a dense ground cover (usually 15-30 cm tall but occasionally up to 70 cm tall) that crowds out the growth of other species. It may also climb a short distance up trees or over other vegetation.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. Often cultivated as an ornamental, the plant readily escapes from gardens and forms a dense ground cover, crowding out or preventing regeneration of other species. In plantations, it will compete with crops for nutrients, light and water, and reduce crop yields.

Propagating it: Seed, Division, Cuttings. Tip cuttings are very easy.

Best place to grow:

Habit: Perennial

Hardiness: 9-11

Growth: Fast

Soil: Light (sandy), medium, heavy (clay)

Shade: Semi-shade, no shade

Moisture: Dry, moist

Things to keep in mind

The IUCN has listed S. trilobata in its 100 of the world's worst invasive alien species 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.

Its other names

Local names

Bay Biscayne creeping oxeye, Bay Biscayne creeping-oxeye, creeping daisy, creeping ox eye, creeping ox-eye, creeping oxeye, creeping wedelia, rabbit's paw, Singapore daisy, trailing daisy, wedelia, yellow dots

Synonyms

Complaya trilobata (L.) Strother. Silphium trilobatum L. Thelechitonia trilobata (L.) H.Rob. & Cuatrec. Wedelia carnosa Rich. Wedelia paludosa DC. Wedelia trilobata (L.) Hitchc.