Boerhavia diffusa
Boerhavia diffusa
Boerhavia diffusa is a species in the genus Boerhaavia. Within the species, the individual plants vary greatly, so that they can hardly be classified and there were a number of first descriptions that led to the style name to a large number of synonyms.
Description
Boerhavia diffusa is a perennial, herbaceous plant that reaches the stature heights between 40 and 120 centimeters. The shoot axis is prostrate or ascending. She is slender and sticky fine - hairy. The leaves are opposite and stalked to one to four centimeters long petioles. The leaf blade is round, or rhombic- oval at the base and then runs to lanceolate. The tip is rounded or sharp. The leaf blade is wavy and between two and six inches long, and two to five centimeters wide. It is fine - hairy or glabrous and dull green at the base to the tip to yellowish temporarily without pits.
The inflorescences are loose, Vielblütige panicles. Bracts are present and fine - haired or bald. The flowers are arranged in tightly packed balls ( glomerulus ) on the inflorescence axis. The perianth is tubular (crown tube) and broad between 0.7 and one millimeter long and less than 0.5 millimeters. The red to purple rare white petals are dotted with tiny glands. The three stamens protrude slightly out of the perianth.
The fruits, as in the Marvel flowers plants ( Nyctaginaceae ) typical Anthokarpi; with them the perianth encloses the ovary closely and is thus a part of the same. The fruits are ovoid to ellipsoid flat, dull to beaked and glandular. They live three to four millimeters long and about an inch wide.
Dissemination
The species is widespread in the Paläotropis. It is found in the tropics and subtropics of the parts of America, Africa, Asia and Oceania.
Synonyms and hybrids
As already described in the introduction, the individual plants within the species vary greatly, so that they can hardly be classified and there were a number of first descriptions that led to the style name to a large number of synonyms. Whether it is but partly to their own species or subspecies is controversial. The most commonly used synonyms are listed here: B. coccinea Mill, B. caribaea Jacq, B. diandra Aubl, B. paniculata A.Rich, B. polymorpha A.Rich, B. hirsuta Willd, B. .. .. . adscendens Willd., B. decumbens Vahl, B. laxa pers., B. squamata Raf., B. sonorae Rose, B. viscosa Lag et Rodr. , B. ramulosa MEJones and B. ixodes Standley. This list is by no means complete.
In addition, the type hybridized regularly with Boerhavia erecta to natural hybrids, which further blurs the boundaries of the species.