North Carolina Botanical Garden

Plant Index

Scientific Name:
Common Name:
Genus:
Family:

Polypremum procumbens

Polypremum procumbens L.

rustweed, juniper leaf, juniperleaf, polypremum

Image ID: 9443
Image by: Ware, Richard & Teresa
Image Collection: NCBG Digital Library

PLANT INDEX

ID_PLANT: POPR4
SCIENTIFIC NAME: Polypremum procumbens
Include in WOTAS: 1
Publish to Web: 1
Last Modified: 2017-12-30

GENUS INDEX

GENUS CODE: POLYP3
GENUS SCIENTIFIC: Polypremum
GENUS AUTHORITY: L.
GENUS COMMON: Polypremum
GENUS SUMMARY: The genus is monotypic, an herb, or warm temperate, subtropical and tropical America.
GENUS IDENTIFICATION:
GENUS REFERENCES: Rabeler in FNA (in prep.); Rogers (1986)=Z; Wagstaff in Kadereit (2004).

FAMILY INDEX

FAMILY CODE: TETRAC
FAMILY SCIENTIFIC: Tetrachondraceae
FAMILY AUTHORITY: Wettstein 1924
FAMILY COMMON: Tetrachondra Family
FAMILY SUMMARY: A family of 2 genera, Polypremum and Tetrachondra (Oxelman et al. 1999), and 3 species, perennial herbs, of s. North America south to South America, and New Zealand. The assignment of Polypremum to family has been controversial, with placement formerly in Loganiaceae or Buddlejaceae. A recent molecular analysis strongly suggests that its closest relationship is with Tetrachondra (Oxelman et al. 1999), and the treatment followed here reflects the current general consensus. Some prefer to treat it in the monospecific Polypremaceae (Reveal 2011).
FAMILY REFERENCE: Oxelman et al. (1999); Wagstaff in Kadereit (2004).

NCBG DESCRIPTIVES

INTRO: Ascending to reclining annual/perennial found in fields, pastures, roadsides, dunes, riverside sand bars and disturbed areas.
STEMS: Stems much-branched and spreading radially in a circular mat from a central crown, the branches usually orange near the crown.
LEAVES: Leaves opposite, sessile and connected to stem by a stipule-like membrane, linear to needle-like, to 3/4 in. long, smooth.
INFLORESCENCE:
FLOWERS: Flowers solitary and sessile in leaf axils, or in small stalked clusters; white; less than 1/4 in. wide; consisting of 4 rounded petals and a tuft of white hairs in the center.
FRUITS:
COMMENTS:
HEIGHT: to 12 in. (long)

DURATION: Annual, Perennial
HABIT: Herb

LEAF ARRANGEMENT: Opposite
LEAF COMPLEXITY: Simple
LEAF RETENTION:

FLORAL CHARACTERISTICS
SYMMETRY: Radial (Actinomorphic)
BLOOM TIME: Late May-Oct

Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
			x	x	x	x	x	x	x

BLOOM COLOR: White

White	Red	Pink	Orange	Yellow	Green	Blue	Lavender	Purple	Violet	Brown	Not Applicable
x

FRUITING PERIOD: Aug-Oct.

DISTRIBUTION
HABITAT TYPE: Bottomlands, Disturbed, maritime
NATIVE RANGE: southeastern United States

HORTICULTURAL
Plant Sale Text:

Bloom Table Text:

NCBG Location:

Cultural Notes:

SOIL MOISTURE: Dry, Average
LIGHT EXPOSURE: Sun, Part Shade
MINIMUM HARDINESS ZONE:
MAXIMUM HARDINESS ZONE:
GERMINATION CODE:
WILDLIFE VALUE:
DEER RESISTANCE:

GRIM ACCESSIONS

acc_id	acc_num	acc_dt	coll_id	Action
3523	1991-0176			View
4176	1992-0332			View

GRIM PLANTINGS

plt_num	acc_id	loc_num	pers_num	inst_dt	Action
5783	3523	55	NCBG staff	1991-10-21	View
6504	4176	200	NCBG staff	1993-03-01	View
12684	0	16	Liloia	0000-00-00	View

USDA PLANTS DATABASE

USDA Symbol: POPR4
USDA Common Name: Juniper Leaf
Native Status: L48 (N), PR (N)
Distribution: USA (AL, AR, DC, DE, FL, GA, IL, IN, KY, LA, MD, MO, MS, NC, NJ, NY, OK, PA, SC, TN, TX, VA), USA+ (PR)
Duration: Annual, Perennial
Growth Habit: Forb/herb

NATIONAL WETLAND INDICATOR STATUS

Region:	AGCP	AK	AW	CB	EMP	GP	HI	MW	NCNE	WMVE
Status:	FACU		FACU	FAC	UPL	UPL		UPL

This information is derived from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers 2016 National Wetland Plant List, Version 3.3 (Lichvar, R.W., D.L. Banks, W.N. Kirchner, and N.C. Melvin. 2016. The National Wetland Plant List: 2016 wetland ratings. Phytoneuron 2016-30: 1-17. Published 28 April 2016. ISSN 2153 733X). Regions: AGCP-Atlantic and Gulf Coastal Plain, AK-Alaska, AW-Arid West, CB-Caribbean, EMP-Eastern Mountains and Piedmont, GP-Great Plains, HI-Hawaii, MW-Midwest, NCNE-Northcentral and Northeast, WMCV-Western Mountains, Valleys & Coast

WEAKLEY FLORA

SCIENTIFIC NAME: Polypremum procumbens
COMMON NAME: Polypremum, Rustweed, Juniperleaf
SYNONYMY: [= C, F, FNA, G, GW, Il, K1, K2, Mo, RAB, S, Va, W, WH3, Z]
PHENOLOGY: Late May-Oct; Aug-Oct.
HABITAT: Fields, pastures, roadsides, dunes, riverside sand bars, disturbed areas.
COMMENTS: Se. NY, NJ, and MO south to FL and TX, and south into Central America, South America, and the West Indies.
RANGE MAP: Polypremum procumbens.png

Key to Map Symbols

ABOUT FAMILY (Weakley Flora)
Tetrachondraceae Wettstein 1924 (Tetrachondra Family)
SUMMARY: A family of 2 genera, Polypremum and Tetrachondra (Oxelman et al. 1999), and 3 species, perennial herbs, of s. North America south to South America, and New Zealand. The assignment of Polypremum to family has been controversial, with placement formerly in Loganiaceae or Buddlejaceae. A recent molecular analysis strongly suggests that its closest relationship is with Tetrachondra (Oxelman et al. 1999), and the treatment followed here reflects the current general consensus. Some prefer to treat it in the monospecific Polypremaceae (Reveal 2011).
REFERENCE: Oxelman et al. (1999); Wagstaff in Kadereit (2004).

ABOUT GENUS (Weakley Flora)
Polypremum L. (Polypremum)
SUMMARY: The genus is monotypic, an herb, or warm temperate, subtropical and tropical America.
REFERENCE: Rabeler in FNA (in prep.); Rogers (1986)=Z; Wagstaff in Kadereit (2004).

HERBARIUM RESOURCES

SERNEC: Find Polypremum procumbens in Southeast Regional Network of Experts and Collections (if available)
UNC SERNEC: Find Polypremum procumbens in University of North Carolina Chapel Hill Herbarium - Southeast Regional Network of Experts and Collections (if available)

WEB RESOURCES

USDA: Find Polypremum procumbens in USDA Plants
NPIN: Find Polypremum procumbens in NPIN Database
FNA: Find Polypremum procumbens in the Flora of North America (if available)
Google: Search Google for Polypremum procumbens

IMAGE USE RECORDS

ID IMAGE: 9443 - Primary Image FloraQuest Plant Detail Page (Landscape Preferred)
ID IMAGE1: 9444 - Primary Image WOTAS
ID IMAGE2: 0 - Secondary Image WOTAS
ID IMAGE3: 9443 - Primary Image Plant Sale Sign (Landscape Only)
ID IMAGE4: 0 - Primary Image New Plant Sale Label (Portrait Only)