Perennial herb, 20-50 cm high; stem erect or at the base for a greater or smaller part decumbent and rooting, often much branched and forming dense tufts, terete in the lower part, quadrangular upwards, on 2 opposite sides with a longitudinal furrow, appressed-pilose at the top and on the nodes. Leaves oblong, oblong-obovate or spathulate from an acute base, acute or obtuse, finely mucronate, often ± crisp, not rarely entirely green, but mostly in different ways variegated with brownish red, bright red, pink or yellow, when young clothed with fine dentate hairs, glabrescent, 1-6 by ½-2 cm; petioles 1-4 cm, ± hairy. Heads terminal and axillary, often in dense clusters of 2-5, globular or oblong, ½-1 cm long; hairs of bracts, bracteoles and floral parts, when present, minutely dentate; rachis hairy; bracts and bracteoles rather long-acuminate, very acute, glabrous or on the back with long hairs; bracts 1¾-3 mm; bracteoles 2-2¾ mm. Perianth often +-difformed and then consisting of more than 5 tepals; normal tepals white or yellowish, shiny; 3 outer ones in their lower ⅓-½ with 3 close-set strong, upwards convergent nerves; their bases finally indurate; 2 abaxial tepals ovate-oblong, 3-4 mm long, concave, in their lower halves rather densely patently pilose on the back; their upper halves acutely acuminate, glabrous; adaxial tepal ovate-oblong, faintly concave or almost flat, sparingly hairy or glabrous, 2¾-3½ mm long; 2 inmost tepals very concave, narrower and shorter than the others, sparingly hairy of glabrous. Stamens (basal cup included) 1¼-½ mm long; anthers 5, linear; 1-2 often somewhat shorter than the others and sterile; fertile ones ¾-1 mm; pseudo-staminodes strap-shaped, reaching up to the middle or the top of the anthers, at the apex cleft into 3-5 very narrow strips. Ovary glabrous; style subconical rather thick ± ½ mm. Utricle in Java not developing (in typical A. ficoides faintly notched).
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Herbs perennial, 20-50 cm tall. Stem erect or creeping, much branched, apical part quadrangular, basal part cylindric, hairy at apex and nodes. Petiole 1-4 mm, slightly hairy; leaf blade green or red, or tinged red or yellow, oblong, oblong-ovate, or spatulate, 1-6 × 0.5-2 mm, hairy when young, glabrescent, base acuminate, margin undulate, apex acute or obtuse, with a mucro. Heads 2-5, terminal or axillary, 5-10 mm, sessile. Bracts and bracteoles ovate-lanceolate, 1.5-3 mm, abaxially glabrous or long hairy, apex acuminate. Tepals white, ovate-oblong; outer segments 3-4 mm, densely hairy; middle segment shorter, pilose or glabrous; inner segment short, narrow, pilose or glabrous. Stamens 5; filaments 1-2 mm; anthers linear; pseudostaminodes fasciated, 3-5-parted at apex. Ovary glabrous; style ca. 0.5 mm. Fruit undeveloped. Fl. Aug-Sep.
A herb. It keeps growing from year to year. It can be erect or lie over and can form tillers at the base. It grows 20-50 cm high. It is branched and can form roots at the nodes. The stems are knobbly and swollen at each node. The young stems are angular. The leaves are opposite and entire. They are oval and have a tip at the end. They narrow to the base. The flowers are white and in round clusters. They have white bracts. The fruit is a thin walled capsule. There is one seed.
Probably unknown as a truly wild plant, it sometimes escapes from cultivation and is found in open, sunny sites at elevations up to 2,000 metres.
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It is a tropical plant. It grows from the lowlands to the mountains.
In Malaysia fruits are never produced.
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