About Turnera ulmifolia L.
Growth Form and Vegetative Features
Turnera ulmifolia L. is an erect-growing plant with dark, toothed leaves and small yellow-orange flowers.
Habitat and Growth Adaptations
It is commonly found growing as a weed along roadsides, and can also grow on walls, cement blocks, and rocks, surviving on minimal water.
Flower Opening and Lifespan
Its yellow flowers open around 6:00 a.m. and wilt around 11:30 a.m., giving each flower a lifespan of approximately six hours.
Herbivory Relationship
Larvae of the Tawny Coster butterfly (Acraea terpsicore) feed on this plant.
Horticultural Misidentification
In horticultural trade, Turnera ulmifolia L. is frequently misidentified as the closely related Turnera diffusa, so it is often mis-sold and misrepresented as "Damiana".
