Stachytarpheta mutabilis
{{Short description|Species of flowering plant}}
{{Speciesbox
|image = Starr 031108-2011 Stachytarpheta mutabilis.jpg
|genus = Stachytarpheta
|species = mutabilis
|synonyms =
- Cymburus mutabilis (Jacq.) Salisb.
- Stachytarpheta purpurea Greenm.
- Stachytarpheta zuccagni Roem. & Schult.
- Valerianoides mutabilis (Jacq.) Kuntze
- Verbena mutabilis Jacq.
- Zappania mutabilis (Jacq.) Lam.
}}
Stachytarpheta mutabilis is a species of flowering plant in the verbena family known by the common names changeable velvetberry,[http://plants.usda.gov/java/profile?symbol=STMU2 Stachytarpheta mutabilis.] USDA Plants Profile. coral porterweed, pink snakeweed, red snakeweed,{{GRIN | access-date = 25 January 2018}} and pink rat tail.[http://www.hear.org/pier/species/stachytarpheta_mutabilis.htm Stachytarpheta mutabilis.] Pacific Island Ecosystems at Risk. It is native to Mexico, the Caribbean, and South America. It can be found in many other places as an introduced species. It is cultivated as an ornamental plant.
Description
This species is a perennial herb or subshrub generally growing 10 to 20 centimeters tall, sometimes reaching half a meter. The hairy stems have oppositely arranged leaves. The leaf blades are leathery in texture and oblong or lance-shaped. They measure up to 12 centimeters long. The inflorescence is a narrow spike up to 60 centimeters long. The flowers come in many shades of red and pink, or violet (Stachytarpheta mutabilis var. violacea).
This species sometimes escapes cultivation and becomes established in the wild. It can be weedy, growing in disturbed habitat such as pastures and roadsides.
This plant is an introduced invasive species in Fiji, Hawaii, Queensland, and Singapore.
The flowers are attractive to a variety of insects. The butterflies Ornithoptera priamus poseidon and Papilio ulysses have been observed foraging on the plant, as has the bee Amegilla sapiens.Stone, G. N., et al. (1988). [https://doi.org/10.1007%2FBF00380925 Thermal effects on activity patterns and behavioural switching in a concourse of foragers on Stachytarpheta mutabilis (Verbenaceae) in Papua New Guinea.] Oecologia 77(1) 56-63. Parts of the plant contain the iridoid glycoside ipolamiide, which inhibits insect predation on the plant.Bernays, E. and C. De Luca. (1981). [https://doi.org/10.1007%2FBF01948365 Insect antifeedant properties of an iridoid glycoside: ipolamiide.] Cellular and Molecular Life Sciences 37(12) 1289-90.