Swaziland's Alien Plants Database

Cleome gynandra L.

CAPPARACEAE

spiderflower, spiderwisp, wild spiderflower, African cabbage

Unknown, Potential minor problem species

Origin: Africa

Growth Form: Herb

Plant Description: erect, annual herb up to 250-600 mm tall, much branched and sometimes becoming woody with age. The stem is sticky with glandular hairs and marked with longitudinal parallel lines. Leaves are palmately compound, with 3-5 leaflets. The leaf stalk is 20-50 mm long with glandular hairs. The leaflets radiate from the tip of the leaf stalk, are 20-100 x 8-40 mm, smooth or with glands, and taper toward the base; on the undersurface, are smooth to finely glandular, and often with scattered multicellular hairs on the main nerves. The inflorescence is a terminal raceme, many-flowered, elongating in fruit; the bract is 3-foliolate to simple above, resembling the leaves but smaller and sessile. The flower stalk is 10-20 mm long with glandular hairs. Petals are white, sometimes fading to rose pink, 10-20 x 3-5 mm, rounded at the apex, abruptly narrowed to a basal claw. The capsule is linear, sub-erect to spreading, 30-150 x 2.5-5 mm; the persistent style is 2 mm long and the valve is thin-textured, glandular with hairs. The seeds are brown, circular in outline, 1.5 mm in diameter, with an obscurely netted surface.

Key Features:

Control:

Comments: