leafless swallow-wort
Orthosia scoparia (Nutt.) Liede & Meve
Orthosia scoparia (Nutt.) Liede & Meve, known as leafless swallow-wort, is a flowering plant in the Apocynaceae family. It is an herbaceous vine with narrow, opposite leaves and yellowish to greenish white flowers. Native to the Bahamas, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Florida, Georgia, Haiti, Jamaica, Mississippi, Puerto Rico, and South Carolina, it is also found in parts of North America, including Boyacá and Cundinamarca in Colombia. It serves as a host plant for caterpillars of several butterfly species and the faithful beauty moth, Sephina gundlachii. The species was published in 2008.
Description
Orthosia scoparia is a perennial vine characterized by its narrow, opposite leaves and small, yellowish to greenish white flowers. It is native to the southeastern United States and the Caribbean, with a distribution that includes Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, and South Carolina, as well as the Bahamas, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Haiti, Jamaica, and Puerto Rico. The plant is a host for the larvae of various butterfly species and the moth Sephina gundlachii. It belongs to the Apocynaceae (Dogbane) family and is part of the genus Orthosia. The species was formally described in 2008.
Other common names
leafless swallow-wort
Distribution
BR · SFF Iguaque · North America · Boyacá, Cundinamarca · Bahamas · Cuba · Dominican Republic · Florida · Georgia · Haiti · Jamaica · Mississippi · Puerto Rico · South Carolina
Synonyms
Lyonsia scopariaMetastelma melanthumMetastelma scopariumOrthosia melanthaVincetoxicum melanthumAmphistelma melanthumAmphistelma scopariumAmphistelma tomentosumCynanchum melanthumCynanchum sauvalleiCynanchum scopariumCynoctonum scopariumMetastelma melanthumVincetoxicum aphyllumVincetoxicum angulatumVincetoxicum tomentosumMetastelma leptocladumVincetoxicum scopariumOrthosia aphyllaOrthosia tomentosaTassadia subulata var. tomentosa
