Close-up views:

| Last updated: November 2022 |

In October 2015, I collected some fruits to take a closer look at its seeds with the intent to grow them in my pot. In the midst of extracting the seeds from the fruits, I found out that the seeds was dispersed via an explosive mechanism, with the seeds flying in different directions when the fruits split open. Each tiny seed is about 1 millimetre long.

Seedlings:

This plant is native to South America. My first encounter of this plant in Singapore was in December 2007. But, Joseph Lai had already described the sighting of this plant way before me in his EARTH website. Unfortunately, this website was no longer available. Based on the specimens from the local herbarium, the earliest collection of this plant was in 1999 [1]. In the iNaturalist website viewed on 19 November 2022, there were 21 observations in Singapore with the earliest sighting in January 2020.

The report by Meena in 2014 [2] stated that the plant was probably a native of Malaysia. However, the first record in Malaysia was reported in 2013 in the state of Selangor [3]. Nevertheless, Ahmad Fuad Morad had already taken pictures of this herb in Ipoh, Malaysia in 2011. For Indonesia and Thailand, it was first reported in 1989 [4] and 2006 [5] respectively.

References:

[1] Chen LMJ, Ho BC, Choo LM, Koh SL. Additions to the Flora of Singapore, new and overlooked records of naturalised plant species (1). Gardens' Bulletin Singapore 2018;70(1):91-101. | Read article |

[2] Meena SL, Krishna PH, Jadhav CR, Maina V. A new generic record to the flora of Gujarat state (India): Spigelia anthelmia L. (Loganiaceae). J Econ Taxon Bot 2014;38(2):340-342. | Read article |

[3] Julius A, Kamin I, Kiew R, Utteridge TMA. Gardneria and Spigelia (Loganiaceae), two genera new to the Flora of Peninsular Malaysia. Phytotaxa 2013;129.1. | Read abstract |

[4] Galinato MI, Moody K, Piggin CM. Upland rice weeds of South and Southeast Asia. International Rice Research Institute 1999, page 154.

[5] Phonsena P. Spigelia (Loganiaceae), a new generic record for Thailand. Thai Forest Bull (Bot) 2006;34;176-178. | Read article |

| Plants of the World Online | Global Plants (JSTOR) | Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute (STRI) | Plant Resources of Tropical Africa (PROTA) |

[2017] Araújo SA, Soares AMDS, Silva CR, Almeida Júnior EB, Rocha CQ, Ferreira ATDS, Perales J, Costa-Júnior LM. In vitro anthelmintic effects of Spigelia anthelmia protein fractions against Haemonchus contortus. PLoS One. 2017 Dec 15;12(12):e0189803. | Read article |

[2015] Oluwakemi K. Sobiyi AO, Tom A. In vitro anthelmintic activity of Heliotropium indicum, Senna fistula and Spigelia anthelmia used as worm expeller in South West Nigeria. Bangladesh J Pharmacol 2015;10:417-422. | Read article |

[2006] Jegede OC, Ajanusi JO, Adaudi AO, Agbede RI. Anthelmintic efficacy of extracts of Spigelia anthelmia Linn on experimental Nippostrongylus braziliensis in rats. J Vet Sci 2006;7(3):229-32. | Read article |

[2002] Ade Morais SM, Bevilaqua CM, Souza JA, Assis LM, Chemical investigation of Spigelia anthelmia Linn. used in Brazilian folk medicine as anthelmintic. Rev bras farmacogn 2002;12:81-82. | Read article |