| Author | (Hooker & Arnott) Zardini & Peng | |
| Distribution | Coastal Plain and eastern Piedmont. Based on digital images, we cannot verify that all counties mapped are based on correctly identified specimens; for example, duplicate specimens from several counties have been determined as both L. grandiflora and L. hexapetala. That said, expert Elsa Zardini annotated most of the specimens we treat as L. hexapetala, but very few of those treated as L. grandiflora. However, in 2024, Weakley has merged L. grandiflora into this species, so all of these combined are now shown on the map below.
Native of South America; in N.A. NC to FL, TX, and OK; also CA. | |
| Abundance | Rare to uncommon, but can be quite abundant at a few places, such as Falls Lake in Wake/Durham/Granville counties. | |
| Habitat | Lake shores and marshes, ditches, canals, creeks, fresh tidal marshes, farm ponds, swamps. | |
| Phenology | Flowering and fruiting May-September. | |
| Identification | This is a large-flowered water-primrose. It is notable for the sparsely (sometimes densely) hirsute stems and branches. Leaves are variable, but generally wider than those of bonariensis. To tell from the former L. grandiflora, see key in Weakley (2018). In general, L. hexapetala has larger flowers -- to 2-2.5 inches across versus 1.5 inches across in the former L. grandiflora, and it has leaves widest toward to the tip (versus widest below the middle in that species). | |
| Taxonomic Comments | A synonym is L. uruguayensis in part; also L. grandiflora var. hexapetala. As mentioned above, there is still much to be settled regarding the distribution of these large-flowered exotic species.
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| State Rank | SE | |
| Global Rank | [GNR] | |
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| US Status | | |
| USACE-agcp | | |
| USACE-emp | | |
