# Primrose-Willows (*ludwigia*)

Primrose-Willows are beautiful plants with bright yellow flowers that bloom in warm weather. They love to grow near water and create a lovely sight for everyone who sees them!

- **Category:** [Plants](https://www.snappit.app/explore/categories/plant)
- **Rarity:** Common
- **Danger:** 0/5 · No known danger
- **Habitat:** Primrose-Willows live in wetlands, ponds, and along the edges of rivers.
- **Also known as:** Ludwigia, Water Primrose, Yellow Water Primrose

![Primrose-Willows](https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=Special:Redirect/file/Ludwigia-Flower-Fruit-080310lw.jpg&width=800)

Photo: Jim Conrad, Public domain · [Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Ludwigia-Flower-Fruit-080310lw.jpg)

## Appearance

The Primrose-Willows is a diverse plant that often has bright yellow, cup-shaped flowers with four or five petals, resembling wild primroses. Its stems can be green to reddish, and leaves vary from oval to narrow, sometimes floating or emerging from water, making it distinct in wet habitats.

## Taxonomy

- **Kingdom:** Plantae
- **Phylum:** Tracheophyta
- **Class:** Magnoliopsida
- **Order:** Myrtales
- **Family:** Onagraceae
- **Genus:** Ludwigia

## Interesting facts

- Look closely for some species, they can sprout tiny buoyant 'knees' or floats from their roots!
- Some Primrose-Willows change their stem shape to float or stand tall in water!
- The name 'Primrose-Willow' comes from their yellow flowers resembling bright primroses.
- They often make their seeds in tiny capsules that look like miniature four-sided peppers!

## Special abilities

- **Water Acrobat:** Primrose-Willows can adapt their growth to either float submerged, creep along wet ground, or stand tall in shallow water.
- **Airy Roots:** Many Primrose-Willows species have spongy, air-filled tissues in stems and roots, helping them breathe underwater.
- **Rapid Colonizer:** Some Primrose-Willows can quickly spread by sending out runners or root fragments, colonizing new wet areas rapidly.

## Measurements & details

- **Height:** 20-100 cm
- **Spread:** 30-60 cm
- **Flower Size:** 1-3 cm
- **Bloom Season:** Summer-fall
- **Edible:** No
- **Toxicity:** None
- **Lifecycle:** Perennial
- **Pollination Method:** Insect

## Ecological connections

- **Pollinates:** Honey Bee (*Apis mellifera*) — collects nectar and pollen
- **Eats:** [Waterlily Leaf Beetle](https://www.snappit.app/explore/waterlily-leaf-beetle) (*Galerucella nymphaeae*) — larvae feed on leaves
- **Eaten by:** Mallard Duck (*Anas platyrhynchos*) — eats seeds and vegetation

## Traits

- [Social](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/social): Social animals live in organized groups, cooperating for survival benefits such as foraging, defense, and raising offspring.
- [Colorful](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/colorful): Colorful describes organisms or objects displaying a wide range of bright and distinct colors.
- [Herbivorous](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/herbivorous): This trait characterizes organisms whose diet consists entirely or primarily of plant material.
- [Aquatic](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/aquatic): Aquatic habitats encompass environments where organisms live predominantly in water, including oceans, rivers, lakes, and wetlands.
- [Pollinator](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/pollinator): Describes organisms that transfer pollen, enabling the fertilization and reproduction of plants.

## Collections

- [Plants](https://www.snappit.app/explore/collections/plants)

## Safety

**Danger:** 0/5 · No known danger

No special safety notes yet.

## Frequently Asked Questions

### How to identify Primrose-Willows?

Start with the whole plant, then compare leaf arrangement, leaf edges, stems and any flowers or fruit. Opposite leaves grow in pairs; alternate leaves come one at a time along the stem. These details tell you far more together than a single green leaf does. Plant Identifier: upload a photo and compare the visible details.

### How tall is Primrose-Willows?

20-100 cm

### How wide does Primrose-Willows spread?

30-60 cm

### How big are the flowers on Primrose-Willows?

1-3 cm

### When does Primrose-Willows bloom?

Summer-fall

### Is Primrose-Willows edible?

No

### Is Primrose-Willows toxic?

None

### What is Primrose-Willows's lifecycle?

Perennial

## Where to spot

- [Crooked Creek Park](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/crooked-creek-park) — Virginia, US · Park

## More Plants

- [white snakeroot](https://www.snappit.app/explore/white-snakeroot) (*Ageratina altissima*)
- [tree-of-heaven](https://www.snappit.app/explore/tree-of-heaven) (*Ailanthus altissima*)
- [western sword fern](https://www.snappit.app/explore/western-sword-fern) (*Polystichum munitum*)
- [common milkweed](https://www.snappit.app/explore/common-milkweed) (*Asclepias syriaca*)

---

Source: [Primrose-Willows: Facts & Places to See — Snappit](https://www.snappit.app/explore/primrose-willows)