I have been fascinated by the buttonweeds for some time. These buttonweeds can be found almost everywhere in Singapore, as long as the grass-cutting exercise is not too frequent. Weeds are usually not very well studied because their values are usually not very well known, though some are considered as herb by some folks. Furthermore, most of them are not as attractive as the flowering shrubs.

Buttonweeds are a group of weeds with their flower clusters that look like buttons. The weeds need not be in the same genus as the name buttonweed is just a common name. The flowers are real small and hence, it is not easy to see its features. I have a difficult time trying to differentiate the different buttonweeds. There are not many references available for this task. Even till now, I cannot say for sure that the scientific names that I assigned to the buttonweeds in my website are 100% accurate. But, it is better than without a name. If you very sure that I have assigned a wrong name, just let me know.

I have probably captured most, if not all, of the common buttonweeds in Singapore in this page. What I have done here is to show 2 photos of each buttonweeds that will allow a visual comparison among them.

Mitracarpus hirtus (White eye, small square weed, tropical girdlepod):

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Spermacoce exilis (Pacific false buttonweed):

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Spermacoce exilis looks very similar to Mitracarpus hirtus. The main difference, without going into the micro-features, is the hairs on the leaf surface. Mitracarpus hirtus has visible hairs on its leaves surface while Spermacoce exilis has none.

Spermacoce latifolia (Broad leaved buttonweed, Oval-leaf false buttonweed):

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Spermacoce latifolia tends to have broader and rounded leaves when compare to the rest of the buttonweeds shown in this page. In fact, its flower cluster does not have the "button" look.

Spermacoce remota (Woodland false buttonweed, poaia):

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Spermacoce remota tends to have leaves that are partially purplish in colour. The plant is usually unbranched.

Spermacoce prostrata (False buttonweed, prostrate false buttonweed, botoncillo):

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Spermacoce prostrata has the narrowest leaves among all buttonweeds shown in this page. It is also branched. It is usually found in water-logged wasteland or near the beaches.

Hedyotis auricularia (Kerekah Batu):

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Hedyotis auricularia looks very similar to Spermacoce remota. The main difference is the flower cluster at the tip of the plant. The mature plant of Hedyotis auricularia does not have any flower cluster at the tip while Spermacoce remota has one. Also, the leaves of Hedyotis auricularia do not have the purple shade. Hedyotis auricularia is the tallest among all the buttonweeds in this page.

Last updated: 30 January 2010