Limnophila repens (Benth.) Benth.

Herbs, to 45 cm tall; stems, pedicels, bracts, and bracteoles hispidulous or rarely glabrous. Stems erect, basally prostrate or repent, simple or branched. Leaves opposite, sessile, narrowly elliptic, linear-lanceolate, or lanceolate-elliptic, 0.5-3 cm X 3-10 mm, adaxially hispidulous or subglabrous, base subamplexicaul, margin serrate; veins pinnate. Flowers solitary and axillary, or in axillary racemes. Pedicel 0.5-3 mm, hispidulous. Bracteoles 2-3 mm. Calyx 4-6 mm, hispidulous to subglabrous, with raised veins in fruit; lobes 1.5-3 mm, narrowly lanceolate, margin ciliate, apex acuminate. Corolla white, purple-red, or blue, 5-10 mm, outside glabrous, inside white villous. Capsule ovoid, 3-4 mm. Fl. and fr. Nov-May.

Tropical Himalaya, India, Burma, east to S. China, Malaysia.

200 m

Moist places near water; low elevations. Guangxi, Hainan [Bhutan, Cambodia, India, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Nepal, Philippines, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Vietnam; Australia].

Stemodia repens Bentham in Lindley, Bot. Reg. 17: ad t. 1470. sp. 11. 1832.

Limnophila repens, the creeping marshweed, is a herbaceous plant belonging to the family Plantaginaceae. It grows up to 45 cm tall both in terrestrial and fresh water habitats. The plant has a strong aromatic smell. Stems are covered with fine hair. Leaves are subsessile opposite and oblong. Violet-pink(rarely yellow) flowers are axilary and solitary or in short racemes. Seeds are angular and brown. Flowering season: November to May.