Cyanotis axillaris (L.) D.Don ex Sweet

Herbs annual; roots fibrous. Stems erect or creeping, branched, 30--40 cm. Leaves all cauline; leaf blade linear, 20--80 × 5--8 mm, abaxially glabrous or sparsely pubescent. Cincinni reduced, in axillary fascicles of 3--6 flowers; peduncle absent; bracts ca. 10 mm. Sepals free, linear-spatulate, 6--9 mm, abaxially hirsute. Petals blue, ca. 12 mm. Filaments blue lanate. Capsule oblong, trigonous, 4--5 mm, hispid at apex, with 6 horned projections. Seeds gray-black or gray-brown, pitted. Fl. spring, autumn.

A tropical plant. It grows in humid sandy places. It grows in open sites along streams and rice fields. It can grow in swamps and marshes. It grows up to 250 m altitude. It is damaged by frost or drought.

The plants are pulled and threshed and the hulls removed from the seeds. The seeds are ground into flour. The seeds also are boiled and ground and mixed with other flours.

Plants can be grown from cuttings.