Peruvian Water Primrose Traditional Cache

Peruvian Water Primrose is a beautiful plant, but it is an alien and has become invasive. Please BYOP and check the cache info at the bottom of the page.

Peruvian Water Primrose

Ludwigia peruviana, with the common names Peruvian primrose-willow or Peruvian water primrose, is an aquatic, sometimes deciduous species of flowering plant in the evening primrose family. It can grow to approximately 12 feet (3.7 m) in height. While native to Peru, it has been introduced in many other countries for its attractive simple yellow flowers, it is now a common weed in swampy areas around the world.

Ecological impact

The Peruvian primrose-willow forms dense colonies along the shore, then creeps into the water where it impedes navigation, damages structures, and competes with native vegetation. This species is classified as a category I invasive species by the United States state of Florida, where it clogs numerous lakes and rivers.

The Peruvian primrose-willow was brought into the country as an ornamental, but it has escaped cultivation and become naturalized in Florida, Texas, Alabama, Georgia, Misissippi and Puerto Rico.It's found in most of Florida's peninsula. Peruvian primrose-willow forms dense patches along shorelines, ultimately growing into and clogging bodies of water. Another common name for this plant: Peruvian seedbox.

Ludwigia

Water primrose is a perennial plant that stands erect along the shoreline but also forms long runners (up to 16 feet) that creep across wet soil or float out across the water surface. These runners form roots at their nodes. Leaves range from lance-shaped or willow-like (2 to inches long by 1/2 to 1 inch wide) on the erect stems to round or oval 91 to 2 inches in diameter on the floating stems. Leaves can be green to reddish depending on the species. The single flowers are yellow with 4 or 5 petals depending on the species. Flowers vary in size from 1 inch to 2 inches in diameter.

Submerged portions of all aquatic plants provide habitats for many micro and macro invertebrates. These invertebrates in turn are used as food by fish and other wildlife species (e.g. amphibians, reptiles, ducks, etc). After aquatic plants die, their decomposition by bacteria and fungi provides food (called “detritus”) for many aquatic invertebrates. Ducks and other waterfowl will consume the seeds of water primrose.

Ludwigia is a genus with over 80 species worldwide, and the USDA Plants Database lists 33 species in the United States and territories, with all but 3 being native. Only 6 states do not have a Ludwigia species (Alaska, Montana, Wyoming, Utah, North Dakota, South Dakota.)

Uses

The common name primrose comes from the flower’s resemblance to evening primroses (Oenothera species), since most have 4 petals. The more woody species of Ludwigia are very good browse for deer, goats, sheep and cattle. In fact, this species is rarely found in overgrazed pastures.

The cache is a tied in, camoed, "small" pill bottle, that has to be pushed hard both to open and close. Please make sure it's closed tightly and don't forget to BYOP! It holds only a rolled log with a rubber band, in a tiny plastic zip lock bag, that needs to be checked that it's sealed tightly.