Boerhavia chinensis (L.) Rottb.

Herb, 1 (-4) m, erect, sometimes climbing, puberulous-glabrescent. Leaves thin, 2.5-4.5 by 1½-4 cm; base obtuse to cordate; top acute; margin deeply sinuate; petiole 1-3 cm. Flowers tubular-campanulate 3-8 together in umbels 0.5-2 by 0.25-3.25 cm; peduncle 2-6 cm; pedicels 2½-14 mm, each with 1 caducous bracteole, 2-3 by 0.2-0.3 mm. Perianth 10-12 mm, upper part of tube above constriction c. 10 mm, with 5 lobes. Stamens 3-4, like the style exserted for 4-5 mm. Anthocarp elongate, 7-8 mm, 10-ribbed, with conspicuous sessile to stalked glands, mostly only at the top.

Sandy clay, dry places, and monsoon forest, also on limestone, up to 700 m, distinctly restricted to regions subject to a seasonal climate.

The leaves are cooked and eaten in times of food shortage. Young stalks and leaves are eaten as vegetables.