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Turnera subulata

Family Name:	Turneraceae
Common Name:	White Alder, Sulphur Alder, Dark-eyed Turnera, White Buttercup, Politician's Flower

Full Sun

Moderate Water

Bee-Attracting Plant

Butterfly-Attracting Plant

Ornamental Flowers

Shrub

Plant Division	Angiosperms (Flowering Seed Plants) (Dicotyledon)
Plant Growth Form	Shrub
Maximum Height	0.3 m to 0.8 m

Native Distribution	Tropical America
Native Habitat	Terrestrial (Disturbed Area / Open Ground)
Preferred Climate Zone	Tropical

Local Conservation Status

Non-native (Spontaneous (Naturalised))

Growth Form	Perennial herb with erect stems up to 0.8 m tall.
Foliage	Lanceolate leaves have a toothed leaf margin. There is a pair of round, greenish to yellowish glands at the base of the leaf blade on either side of the petiole. Venation is prominent with the leaf blade slightly bulging between veins. The leaf surface is covered in short, white hairs.
Flowers	Large, dark-eyed flowers are composed of 5 obovate petals which are cream-coloured and yellow at the base or solid yellow. There are 2 flower forms: 1) thrum flowers where the stamens (male, pollen-producing part) are taller than the styles (female, egg-bearing parts) and 2) pin flowers where the stamens are shorter than the styles. Flowers cannot self-pollinate, requiring pollen from another flower to produce seeds.

Similar

This species is similar to Turnera ulmifolia, but it has a dark eye, while T. ulmifolia does not.

Desirable Plant Features	Ornamental Flowers

Fauna Pollination Dispersal Associated Fauna	Butterfly-Attracting, Bee-Attracting
Pollination Method(s)	Biotic (Fauna) (Insects (Bee), Insects (Ant, Beetle, Fly, Thrip, Wasp))

Mature Foliage Colour(s)	Green
Foliar Type	Simple / Unifoliate
Foliar Arrangement Along Stem	Spiral

Foliar Attachment to Stem	Petiolate
Foliar Shape(s)	Non-Palm Foliage (Lanceolate, Elliptical)
Foliar Venation	Pinnate / Net
Foliar Margin	Serrate / Toothed
Foliar Apex - Tip	Acuminate
Foliar Base	Rounded / Obtuse
Leaf Area Index (LAI) for Green Plot Ratio	4.5 (Shrub & Groundcover - Dicot)

Flower & Plant Sexuality	Bisexual Flowers
Flower Colour(s)	Yellow / Golden, Black, Cream / Off-White
Flower Texture(s)	Smooth

Flower Grouping	Solitary
Flower Location	Terminal
Flower Symmetry	Radial
Individual Flower Shape	Funnelform / Funnel-shaped
Flowering Period	Free-Flowering
Flowering Opening Time	Daytime
Flowering Habit	Polycarpic
Flowering Opening Time Remarks	Flowers open in the morning at about 8AM and close by noon.
Flower Size	5 cm

References	Swamy, N. R. & Bahadur B.. 1984. Pollen Flow in Dimorphic Turnera subulata. New Phytologist. 98. 1. 205-209

Images

Master ID	1241
Species ID	2534
Flora Disclaimer	The information in this website has been compiled from reliable sources, such as reference works on medicinal plants. It is not a substitute for medical advice or treatment and NParks does not purport to provide any medical advice. Readers should always consult his/her physician before using or consuming a plant for medicinal purposes.