Kingdom: Plantae
(Unranked): Angiosperms
(Unranked): Eudicots
(Unranked): Asterids
Order: Asterales
Family: Campanulaceae
Subfamily: Lobelioideae
Genus: Isotoma
Species: I. fluviatilis
Scientific name: Isotoma fluviatilis
Synonyms: Isotoma fluviatilis, Laurentia fluviatilis, Lobelia fluviatilis, Pratia puberula
Common names: Blue Star Creeper, Swamp Isotoma, Matted Pratia
Warning: All parts of the plant are poisonous if ingested. Handling plant may cause skin irritation or allergic reaction.
Isotoma fluviatilis is a creeping, perennial mat-forming species from the New Zealand and Australia. In the wild, it is found usually in damp lowland and montane areas. It can grow quite dry places, in sun or shade.
This prostrate perennial herb is usually pubescent or sometimes glabrous and roots at nodes.
The deep green leaves are 4 to 12 millimetres in length and 2 to 8 mm wide. The leaf blade is oblong, elliptic or linear in shape or the lower ones ovate or obovate in shape.
It forms solitary flowers that are axillary and can be bisexual or unisexual. During the summer months between November and March, it producing a carpet of white-blue five-petaled star-shaped flowers.
Capsules that form later are obconical to obovoid in shape and slightly asymmetric. They are usually 3 to 6 mm in length with a 3 mm diameter.
Thanks to Wikipedia for text and information http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/
