Loving this plant

Could Turnera ulmifolia be a perfect plant, at least in its native range of the American tropics? (Unfortunately, it is listed as invasive in places to which it has been introduced, for precisely some of the attributes that make it a great plant in places like the Yucatan peninsula and southern Florida.) Its bright yellow flowers and serrated leaves certainly are eye-catching and lovely.

It grows in poor soil, even salty sand--and pavement cracks. Turnera is one of the first plants to show up after a hurricane due to the wide seed dispersal brought about by ants (and enthusiastic seeding) and helps to rebuild coastal dunes.

Given its habit of growing in waste places, it would seem to have a fair amount of drought tolerance, and it absolutely asks for no supplemental feeding. I have never seen a specimen battling any sort of fungal disease, despite some of the humid places in which it grows. Much less fussy than yellow roses, it blooms all year and is self-cleaning.

Even better, pollinators love it. 

In parts of the Caribbean, it is known as "ramgoat" in part because of its supposed popularity with that ungulate species. (But don't goats eat nearly anything?) Personally, I prefer its other common names, Cuban buttercup or yellow alder.

Unsurprisingly for a widespread, easy-to-grow plant (which we will not call a weed), Turnera ulmifolia has a long history in herbal medicine. It has been used as both an antibiotic and an anti-inflammatory, with some recent research indicating promise in the treatment of certain drug-resistant bacteria. Tea made from the leaves was used to treat anxiety and depression.

And something I learned from the "Plants of Love" exhibit at the Merida botanical garden: some traditional cultures used the plant as an aphrodisiac. Bright and beautiful, good for the birds, the bees, and the humans, thrives even in difficult situations--that does sound a bit like love, doesn't it?