Heterotis rotundifolia (Spanish Shawl)

Native to tropical Africa, this low perennial herb spreads as a creeping groundcover. Hairy stems root where their nodes touch the soil, and opposite leaves have bristly surfaces with conspicuous veins. Solitary flowers or small clusters display five broad pink to purple petals around curved stamens. The oval fruits are also covered in bristles. Plants grow in moist forest and riverine habitats and are cultivated as ornamental groundcovers or trailing container plants. It can spread through plant fragments and seeds, forming dense mats that crowd out other plants. It has become problematic in Pacific islands and poses a high invasion risk in southern Florida. Photographed in Colombia.