Habit: Spermacoce brittonii grows as a glabrous perennial woody sub-shrub up to 40 cm in height. Branches quadrangular with the internodes longer than the leaf length. The leaves are arranged oppositely with short acute, slightly pubescent, stipules between the petioles. The sessile leaves are narrow elliptic to linear oblong up to 2 cm long (typically shorter) and 4 mm wide, with an acute leaf apex and an entire margin. Leaves shorter toward the branch apex.
The, actinomorphic, perfect, complete, flowers occur in terminal heads at the ends of branches and are subtended by shorter leaves. The calyx has 4 fused at the base, glabrous ovate – lanceolate, lobed sepals. The corolla has 4 fused, glabrous, white, petals that form a short tube and each slightly recurved lobe with an ovate apex. There are 4 stamens that are fused to the perianth forming a hypanthium. The ovary is inferior with 1 locule and many ovules. The fruit is a capsule at maturity.
Habitat: Spermacoce brittonii grows in Dunes, Coccothrinax Woodlands, and in sandy coastal shrublands.
Distribution: Spermacoce brittonii is endemic to the Lucayan Archipelago occurring in the Turks and Caicos Islands.
Medicinal/Cultural/Economic usage: Spermacoce brittonii is not known to be used medicinally in the Bahamas.
Spermacoce brittonii is listed as Vulnerable (VU) under the IUCN criteria B1ab(i,ii,iii,iv)+2ab(i,ii,iii,iv)
Barker, A., Prosper, D., Blaise, J., Naqqi Manco, B. & Corcoran, M.R. 2026. Spermacoce brittonii. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2026: e.T138221511A138221545
https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2026-1.RLTS.T138221511A138221545.en