Malapoko
Ludwigia octovalvis · Mexican primrose-willow
- Names in the book
- Malapoko, Tag.
- Colours
- floweryellow
- Native range
- Tropics worldwide
- In the Philippines, per the book
- In the arable fields and along the banks of rivers. Blooms in January and March.
- Family
- Onagraceae, filed in the book under Onagraceæ
- Printed as
- Jussiæa suffruticosa, L. (J. villosa, Lam.; J. erecta, Blanco.)
- Sources
- Page 122 on Project Gutenberg · Wikipedia
The plant today
Ludwigia octovalvis is a species of flowering plant in the Onagraceae family known by the common name Mexican primrose-willow. Its native distribution is unclear, but can be found in Central America, Australia, South-East Asia, Tamilnadu (IND), the Middle East, the Central-West African regions and spreads easily to become naturalized. It is also cultivated as an aquatic plant. The plant is known for its anti-aging properties. The species is sometimes regarded as an invasive species and is classified by IUCN as of "least concern" with stable populations. An adult plant is one meter tall on average but is able to grow taller.
Excerpt from “Ludwigia octovalvis” on Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Recorded in the Philippines
GBIF holds 91 records of this plant from the Philippines. The ones with map coordinates fall in 8 provinces: Batangas (1), Bulacan (1), Davao del Norte (1), Ifugao (1), Isabela (1), Laguna (1), Negros Oriental (1), Sorsogon (1).
Counts from GBIF occurrence records, October 2026. They include planted trees and garden plants, and a province with no records may only lack collectors.
What the 1901 book says
A historical record, quoted as printed. Doses and remedies here are not medical advice.
Uses
The entire plant reduced to a pulp and mixed with milk is used in India to treat dysentery. Ainslie states that the decoction is employed as a vermifuge and purgative.
Botanical description
An herb with square stem, leaves alternate, lanceolate, nearly entire, glabrous. Flowers axillary, yellow, solitary. Calyx of 4–5 lobules. Corolla, 4 lanceolate petals inserted between the divisions of the calyx. Stamens 8, of these 4 alternate being shorter. Ovary very long, inferior, with 4 many-ovuled locules. Style the same length as the stamens. Stigma 4-lobuled. Seed vessels very long, with faint longitudinal ridges, crowned by the remains of the calyx, 4 pluriovulate locules.
Recent research
The most cited papers since 2022 that name this plant in the title, pulled from Europe PMC in October 2026. Titles are the authors' own and the findings have not been reviewed here.
- Digestion-Related Enzyme Inhibition Potential of Selected Mexican Medicinal Plants (Ludwigia octovalvis (Jacq.) P.H.Raven, Cnidoscolus aconitifolius and Crotalaria longirostrata)
- Wound Healing and Acute Dermal Toxicity Studies of Ludwigia octovalvis (Jacq.) P. H. Raven (Onagraceae) in Sprague-Dawley Rats
- Chemical Characterization, Antilipidemic Effect and Anti-Obesity Activity of Ludwigia octovalvis in a Murine Model of Metabolic Syndrome