Boerhavia repens L.

A glabrous, puberulent or glandular-hairy herb with prostrate stems. The leaves are ovate and often whitish on the lower surface. The flowers are white or pink and arranged in axillary, unbranched cymes shorter than or slightly longer than the leaves. The fruit is a 5-ribbed anthocarp.

North and tropical Africa, Sinai, Palestine, tropical Asia.

Annual or perennial.

This species is often confused with Boerhavia diffusa. It can be most readily distinguished by the lack of multicellular hairs along the leaf margins, consistently pedicellate flowers, and much paler perianth. It differs from B. erecta by the very differently shaped fruit. This is a pantropical, ruderal weed, mainly growing in dry areas.

Herbs ephemeral to perennial. Stems prostrate, radiating from taproot, to 50 cm, most parts eglandular-puberulent. Petiole to 1 cm; leaf blade 1-2.5 × 0.4-1.5 cm, abaxially conspicuously pale, base rounded to cuneate, margin entire, apex rounded to subacute. Inflorescences mostly axillary, 2-5-flowered umbels, sometimes gathered into cymes, to 2 cm. Pedicel to 1 mm. Perianth limb white, pink, or pale purple, to 1 mm. Stamens (1 or)2(or 3). Anthocarp clavate, 3-3.5 mm, 5-ribbed, sparsely puberulent, sometimes with ± sessile glands.

Similar in habit and fruit shape to Boerhavia procumbens Banks ex Roxb., but differs in the short axillary and solitary peduncles bearing flowers in cymes and narrow fruits. More closely related to Boerhavia diandra Linn.

Distribution: Tropical Africa and Asia.

Fl. Per.: mostly throughout the year.

Sunny sites in disturbed areas. Fujian, Guangdong [widespread in Africa, America, Asia, etc.].

Boerhavia diffusa Linnaeus var. minor (Delile) Cufodontis; B. repens var. minor Delile.

repens: creeping

Much-branched spreading prostrate annual herb, often mat-forming. Stems prostrate, puberulous or almost hairless. Leaves ovate to lanceolate, mostly less than 2.5 cm long, almost hairless, glandular. Inflorescences short, axillary and unbranched. Flowers usually in clusters of 2-6, white, pink or mauve. Stamens and style less than 1.2 mm long. Fruits 3-4 mm long, clavate to fusiform with a rounded apex, 5-ribbed, smooth, more or less hairless.

Widespread in tropical Asia and Africa.