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Spermacoce verticillata L.
Shrubby false buttonweed

Spermacoce verticillata
Copyright by: Keith J. Buttry, 2015
Naturalized at Virginia Key, Miami-Dade County, Florida

Family: Rubiaceae

Group: Dicot

Substrate: Terrestrial

Habit: Herb

Perennation: Perennial

Native Range: The West Indies, Mexico, Central America and South America; an introduced weed elsewhere.

Map of select IRC data for peninsular Florida

FLEPPC Status: Category II Invasive

SOUTH FLORIDA Occurrence: Present

SOUTH FLORIDA Native Status: Not Native, Naturalized

SOUTH FLORIDA Cultivated Status: Not Cultivated

Comments: For images, click on the Atlas of Florida Vascular Plants link below.

Other data on Spermacoce verticillata available from :

Atlas of Florida Vascular Plants
Spermacoce verticillata has been found in the following 186 conservation areas :
Occurrence Native Status
A.D. Doug Barnes Park Present Not Native, Naturalized
Alice C. Wainwright Park Present Not Native, Naturalized
Arch Creek Addition Present Not Native, Naturalized
Arch Creek Park Present Not Native, Naturalized
Arthur R. Marshall Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge Present Not Native, Naturalized
Atlantic Dunes Park Present Not Native, Naturalized
Attwood Addition, Indian Key Historic State Park Present Not Native, Naturalized
Babcock Ranch Preserve Present Not Native, Naturalized
Bahia Honda State Park Present Not Native, Naturalized
Big and Little George Hammocks Present Not Native, Naturalized
Big Cypress National Preserve Present Not Native, Naturalized
Big Torch Hammocks, Florida Keys Wildlife and Environmental Area Present Not Native, Naturalized
Bill Baggs Cape Florida State Park Present Not Native, Naturalized
Bill Sadowski Park Present Not Native, Naturalized
Biscayne National Park Present Not Native, Naturalized
Biscayne National Park, Florida Keys Section Present Not Native, Naturalized
Black Creek Forest Present Not Native, Naturalized
Black Point Park and Marina Present Not Native, Naturalized
Blazing Star Preserve Present Not Native, Naturalized
Blowing Rocks Preserve Present Not Native, Naturalized
Blue Heron Hammock, Florida Keys Wildlife and Environmental Area Present Not Native, Naturalized
Caloosahatchee Creeks Preserve Present Not Native, Naturalized
Camp Owaissa Bauer Present Not Native, Naturalized
Camp Owaissa Bauer Addition Present Not Native, Naturalized
Castellow Hammock parcel 28 Present Not Native, Naturalized
Castellow Hammock parcel 31 Present Not Native, Naturalized
Castellow Hammock parcel 33 Present Not Native, Naturalized
Castellow Hammock Park Present Not Native, Naturalized
Cedar Point Environmental Park Present Not Native, Naturalized
Chapman Field Park Present Not Native, Naturalized
Chernoff Hammock Present Not Native, Naturalized
Coconut Creek Maple Swamp Natural Area Present Not Native, Naturalized
Collier-Seminole State Park Present Not Native, Naturalized
Coral Pines Park Present Not Native, Naturalized
Coral Reef Park Present Not Native, Naturalized
County Line Scrub, Miami-Dade County Present Not Native, Naturalized
Crandon Park Present Not Native, Naturalized
Crocodile Lake National Wildlife Refuge Present Not Native, Naturalized
Crystal Lake Sand Pine Scrub Natural Area Present Not Native, Naturalized
Curry Hammock State Park Present Not Native, Naturalized
Dagny Johnson Key Largo Hammocks Botanical State Park Present Not Native, Naturalized
Danforth Park Present Not Native, Naturalized
Daskas Present Not Native, Naturalized
Deering Estate at Cutler Present Not Native, Naturalized
Delray Beach Municipal Beach Present Not Native, Naturalized
Delray Beach, Lake Ida parcel Present Not Native, Naturalized
Delray Oaks Natural Area Present Not Native, Naturalized
Dolphin Center and Dolphin Center Addition Present Not Native, Naturalized
Doris Davis Forman Wilderness Preserve Natural Area Present Not Native, Naturalized
Dove Creek Hammocks, Florida Keys Wildlife and Environmental Area Present Not Native, Naturalized
Dr. Von D. Mizell-Eula Johnson State Park Present Not Native, Naturalized
Dupuis Reserve Present Not Native, Naturalized
Eachus Pineland Present Not Native, Naturalized
Enchanted Forest Park Present Not Native, Naturalized
Everglades and Francis S. Taylor Wildlife Management Area Present Not Native, Naturalized
Everglades National Park Present Not Native, Naturalized
Fakahatchee Strand Preserve State Park Present Not Native, Naturalized
Fisheating Creek Wildlife Management Area Present Not Native, Naturalized
Florida City Pineland Possibly Extirpated Not Native, Naturalized
Fort Lauderdale Ex. Airport Gopher Tortoise Preserve Present Not Native, Naturalized
Frenchman's Forest Natural Area Present Not Native, Naturalized
Frog Pond/L-31 N Transition Lands Present Not Native, Naturalized
Fuchs Hammock Preserve Present Not Native, Naturalized
George N. Avery Pineland Present Not Native, Naturalized
Girl Scouts South Miami Little House Present Not Native, Naturalized
Gold Coast Railroad Museum Present Not Native, Naturalized
Gomez Present Not Native, Naturalized
Gopher Tortoise Preserve Present Not Native, Naturalized
Grassy Waters Preserve Present Not Native, Naturalized
Gulfstream Park Present Not Native, Naturalized
Halpatiokee Regional Park Present Not Native, Naturalized
Harden Hammock Present Not Native, Naturalized
Hattie Bauer Hammock Present Not Native, Naturalized
Hawk's Hammock Park Present Not Native, Naturalized
High Ridge Scrub Natural Area Present Not Native, Naturalized
Highland Oaks Park Present Not Native, Naturalized
Highlands Scrub Natural Area Present Not Native, Naturalized
Hillsboro Pineland Natural Area Present Not Native, Naturalized
Hobe Sound National Wildlife Refuge Present Not Native, Naturalized
Hobe Sound Sandhill Present Not Native, Naturalized
Homestead Bayfront Park Present Not Native, Naturalized
Hugh Taylor Birch State Park Present Not Native, Naturalized
Ingram Pineland Present Not Native, Naturalized
J.W. Corbett Wildlife Management Area Present Not Native, Naturalized
John D. MacArthur Beach State Park Present Not Native, Naturalized
John Kunkel Small Pineland Present Not Native, Naturalized
John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park Present Not Native, Naturalized
Jonathan Dickinson State Park Present Not Native, Naturalized
Juno Dunes Natural Area Present Not Native, Naturalized
Jupiter Inlet Lighthouse Outstanding Natural Area Present Not Native, Naturalized
Jupiter Ridge Natural Area Present Not Native, Naturalized
Kendall Indian Hammocks Park Present Not Native, Naturalized
Kendalwood Present Not Native, Naturalized
Kiplinger Present Not Native, Naturalized
Larry and Penny Thompson Park Present Not Native, Naturalized
Lignumvitae Key Botanical State Park, Klopp Tract Present Not Native, Naturalized
Little Hamaca Park Present Not Native, Naturalized
Little Torch Hammocks, Florida Keys Wildlife and Environmental Area Present Not Native, Naturalized
Loggerhead Park Present Not Native, Naturalized
Long Key Natural Area & Nature Center Present Not Native, Naturalized
Loxahatchee River Natural Area Present Not Native, Naturalized
Loxahatchee Slough Natural Area Present Not Native, Naturalized
Lucille Hammock Present Not Native, Naturalized
Ludlam Pineland Present Not Native, Naturalized
Luis Martinez United States Army Reserve Station, Richmond Pine Rocklands Present Not Native, Naturalized
Mangrove Preserve Present Not Native, Naturalized
Matheson Hammock Park Present Not Native, Naturalized
Medlock Pineland Present Not Native, Naturalized
Middle Torch Hammocks Anderson, Lipchak, 3112 Parcels, Florida Keys Wildlife and Environmental Area Present Not Native, Naturalized
Middle Torch Hammocks Parcel 3063, Florida Keys Wildlife and Environmental Area Present Not Native, Naturalized
Military Trail Natural Area Present Not Native, Naturalized
Milton E. Thompson Park Present Not Native, Naturalized
Miramar Pineland Present Not Native, Naturalized
Moreno Pine Rockland Present Not Native, Naturalized
Muscara Present Not Native, Naturalized
National Key Deer Refuge Present Not Native, Naturalized
Navy Wells Pineland 23 Present Not Native, Naturalized
Navy Wells Pineland 39 Not Native, Naturalized
Navy Wells Pineland Preserve Present Not Native, Naturalized
Ned Glenn Nature Preserve Present Not Native, Naturalized
Nixon Smiley Pineland Addition Present Not Native, Naturalized
Nixon Smiley Pineland Preserve Present Not Native, Naturalized
Oak Grove Park Present Not Native, Naturalized
Ocean Ridge Hammock Park Present Not Native, Naturalized
Okaloacoochee Slough State Forest, Okaloacoochee Slough Wildlife Management Area Present Not Native, Naturalized
Okaloacoochee Slough Wildlife Management Area - FWC, Okaloacoochee Slough Wildlife Management Area Present Not Native, Naturalized
Oleta River State Park Present Not Native, Naturalized
Pal-Mar Present Not Native, Naturalized
Peck Lake Park Present Not Native, Naturalized
Phipps Ocean Park Present Not Native, Naturalized
Picayune Strand State Forest Present Not Native, Naturalized
Pine Island Ridge Natural Area Present Not Native, Naturalized
Pine Jog Environmental Sciences Center Present Not Native, Naturalized
Pine Ridge Sanctuary Present Not Native, Naturalized
Pine Shore Preserve Present Not Native, Naturalized
Pond Apple Slough Natural Area Present Not Native, Naturalized
Porter-Russell Pineland Present Not Native, Naturalized
Prairie Pines Preserve Present Not Native, Naturalized
Quail Roost Pineland Present Not Native, Naturalized
R. Hardy Matheson Preserve Present Not Native, Naturalized
Railhead Scrub Preserve Present Not Native, Naturalized
Ramrod Hammocks, Florida Keys Wildlife and Environmental Area Present Not Native, Naturalized
Rock Pit 39 Present Not Native, Naturalized
Rockdale Pineland Present Not Native, Naturalized
Rocky Point Hammock Present Not Native, Naturalized
Rolling Oaks Park Present Not Native, Naturalized
Ron Ehmann Park Present Not Native, Naturalized
Rookery Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve Present Not Native, Naturalized
Rosemary Ridge Preserve Present Not Native, Naturalized
Rosemary Scrub Natural Area Present Not Native, Naturalized
Royal Palm Beach Pines Natural Area Present Not Native, Naturalized
Savannas Preserve State Park Present Not Native, Naturalized
School Board Property (Moody Drive and Turnpike) Not Native, Naturalized
Scrub Oak Park Present Not Native, Naturalized
Seabranch Preserve State Park Present Not Native, Naturalized
Seacrest Scrub Natural Area Present Not Native, Naturalized
Secret Woods Nature Center Present Not Native, Naturalized
Seminole Wayside Park Present Not Native, Naturalized
Sewell Park Present Not Native, Naturalized
Silver Palm Hammock Present Not Native, Naturalized
Six Mile Cypress Slough Preserve Present Not Native, Naturalized
Snake Creek Hammocks, Florida Keys Wildlife and Environmental Area Present Not Native, Naturalized
SOCSOUTH Present Not Native, Naturalized
South Beach Park Present Not Native, Naturalized
South Dade Wetlands Present Not Native, Naturalized
Spoonbill Sound Hammocks, Florida Keys Wildlife and Environmental Area Present Not Native, Naturalized
Sugarloaf Hammocks, Florida Keys Wildlife and Environmental Area Present Not Native, Naturalized
Sunny Palms Pineland Present Not Native, Naturalized
Tall Cypress Natural Area Present Not Native, Naturalized
Tamiami Pineland Complex Addition Present Not Native, Naturalized
Tilton Present Not Native, Naturalized
Tradewinds Park & Stables Present Not Native, Naturalized
Trail Glades Range Present Not Native, Naturalized
Tree Island Park Present Not Native, Naturalized
Trinity Pineland Present Not Native, Naturalized
Tropical Park Present Not Native, Naturalized
Virginia Key Beach Park and Marine Stadium Present Not Native, Naturalized
Warbler Wetland Natural Area Present Not Native, Naturalized
West Biscayne Pineland Present Not Native, Naturalized
West Lake Park/Anne Kolb Nature Center Present Not Native, Naturalized
Wild Turkey Strand Preserve Present Not Native, Naturalized
Windley Key Fossil Reef Geological State Park Present Not Native, Naturalized
Woodmont Natural Area Present Not Native, Naturalized
Yamato Scrub Natural Area Present Not Native, Naturalized
Yellow Fever Creek Preserve Present Not Native, Naturalized
Zoo Miami Present Not Native, Naturalized

Spermacoce verticillata has been found in the following 8 counties :
Occurrence Native Status
Broward County Not Native, Naturalized
Collier County Not Native, Naturalized
Hendry County Not Native, Naturalized
Lee County Not Native, Naturalized
Martin County Not Native, Naturalized
Miami-Dade County Not Native, Naturalized
Monroe County (Keys) Not Native, Naturalized
Palm Beach County Not Native, Naturalized

Spermacoce verticillata has been found in the following 2 habitats :
Disturbed Upland
Pine Rockland

All Images:

Spermacoce verticillata
Copyright by: Keith J. Buttry, 2015
Naturalized at Virginia Key, Miami-Dade County, Florida
Spermacoce verticillata
Copyright by: James Johnson, 2014
In habitat, Hillsboro Pineland Natural Area, Broward County, Florida
Spermacoce verticillata
Copyright by: James Johnson, 2014
In habitat, Hillsboro Pineland Natural Area, Broward County, Florida