rough buttonweed

Hexasepalum teres

Its seeds have a tiny, nutrient-rich structure called an elaiosome, which coaxes ants into carrying the seeds underground, effectively planting them.

Scientific name

Hexasepalum teres

Taxonomy

Plantae › Tracheophyta › Magnoliopsida › Gentianales › Rubiaceae › Hexasepalum

IUCN Red List status

Least Concern

Population trend

stable

Biome

grassland

Habitat

Dry sandy soils, old fields, coastal dunes, roadsides, pine barrens, and disturbed open areas.

Diet

Autotrophic (produces energy via photosynthesis using sunlight, water, and soil nutrients).

Range

North America, Central America, South America

Size

Sprawling stems 10 to 80 cm long, forming low-growing mats.

Lifespan

1 year (annual)

Active

diurnal

Threats

Habitat loss to intensive agriculture, over-shading by invasive canopy plants, and excessive herbicide use in managed landscapes.

Safe to approach?

Harmless. You can safely observe or touch this plant. Its stems are covered in stiff, rough hairs that may feel slightly scratchy to the touch, but it is entirely non-toxic and poses no danger to humans or pets.

Hexasepalum teres is a species of flowering plant in the coffee family known by the common names poorjoe and rough buttonweed . This annual plant is native to Mexico, Central America, South America, the West Indies and the United States from California to Florida and from Kansas to Massachusetts. The species is also naturalized in the Netherlands, the Canary Islands, Western Africa, Angola, China, Japan and Korea, India, and Madagascar.

Photo: Michael J. Papay, CC-BY, via iNaturalist

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