BOERHAVIA

Boerhavia Vaill. ex L., Sp. Pl. ed.1: 3. 1753; Gen. Pl. 5: 119. 1754; 1867; Boiss., Fl. Or. 1: 1044; 1867; Hook.f. & Thoms., Fl. Ind. 1: 138. 1855; Hook. f., Fl. Brit. India 4: 708. 1885; Kashyap, Lahore Dist. Fl. 201. 1936; Fl. China @ eFloras.org 5: 433; Fl. North Amer. @ eFloras.org 4: 17; Fl. Pak. @ eFloras.org p. 3.

Annual or perennial herbs, erect, ascending or procumbent. Stem sometimes glandular. Leaves opposite, often unequal, petiolate, margin entire or sinuate. Inflorescences usually terminal, sometimes apparently axillary, of small umbels, often irregular, rarely 1-flowered, grouped into cymose panicles. Flowers small, more or less actinomorphic, bisexual, hypogynous, sessile or with jointed pedicels; bracts 1-3 beneath each flower, free, minute, lanceolate, persistent or deciduous. Perianth constricted beyond ovary, limb campanulate, apex 5-lobed, truncate or plicate, caducous. Stamens 1-5(-8), included or shortly exserted, filaments connate at base. Carpel 1, ovary oblique, stipitate, unilocular with solitary basal ovule; style at or extending beyond anthers; stigma peltate or capitate. Fruit small, fusiform, clavate, turbinate, oblong-clavate, obovoid or obpyramidal, stiffy coriaceous, 5-ribbed or deeply 5-angled, often rough with sessile, sticky glands.

60 species

Boerhavia diffusa

Boerhavia diffusa L., Sp. Pl. 1: 3. 1753; Babu, Herb. Fl. Dehradun 423. 1977; Mukherjee, J. Econ. Tax. Bot. 5(3): 586. 1984; Kaur & Sharma, Fl. Sirmaur 531.2004; Singh & Sharma, Fl. Chamba Dist. 583. 2006; Fl. China @ eFloras.org 5: 434; Fl. North Amer. @ eFloras.org 4: 19.

Perennial herb. Stem trailing, procumbent-ascending or erect, usually profusely branched, 30-100 cm or more, minutely pubescent, terete, often purple-tinged. Leaves opposite, in unequal pairs, branching alternating at the nodes; petioles 1-5 cm long with an adaxial groove, puberulent; leaf blades ovate, broadly ovate or suborbicular, 1-5 cm x 1-5 cm, base truncate, rounded or shallowly cordate, sometimes oblique, margin undulate, apex obtuse to acute, both surfaces sparsely and minutely pubescent. Inflorescence appearing axillary, arising from abaxial side near one leaf (never axillary), peduncle forked about 3-6 times +/- equally at apex, branches divergent, terminating in compact subumbellate or capitate, 2-10-flowered clusters; peduncle up to 5 cm long, pubescent. Flowers small, actinomorphic, bisexual, hypogynous, pink; pedicel ca. 0.5 mm long or less; bract 1, ca. 1 mm long, lanceolate, acuminate, pubescent or puberulent, caducous. Perianth constricted beyond ovary, lower half around and adnate to ovary, persistent; limb bright purple or purple-red, campanulate, 1.5-2 mm long, apex shallowly 5-lobed, each lobe emarginate or further shallowly bilobed, caducous. Stamens 3-4(-5), shortly exserted, filaments basally connate, dark purple, slightly unequal; anthers bithecous, dehiscence longitudinal. Pistil monocarpellary, ovary superior, unilocular with a solitary basal ovule; style reaching near anthers; stigma peltate. Fruit (anthocarp) (1-)2-5(-9) per cluster, grey-brown to brown, obpyramidal, clavate or obovate, 3-4.5 mm x 1-1.2 mm, apex broadly conic, 5-ribbed, ribs round, with viscid glands and sparse pubescence.

Flowering and Fruiting: March to November
Common Names: Spreading Hogweed, Red Hogweed, Tar Vine, Red Spiderling, Wine flower; Punarnava, Satha (Hindi)