Melochia melissifolia Benth.

Herb, sometimes undershrub, 0.30-1 m. high, the young stems hispidulous, the hairs chiefly stellate. Leaves rather small, long-petiolate, the petiole slender, 0.7-3 cm. long, hispidulous, the stipules linear, acute, 4-7 mm. long, long-ciliolate; blade lanceolate or ovate to broadly ovate, rounded or truncate or subcordate at the base, subacute to acute at the apex, up to 4.5 cm. long and 9.5 cm. wide, mem-branous, the margins serrate-crenate, sparsely apprcssed-hispidulous and with chiefly simple hairs, the nervation slightly prominent beneath. Inflorescencos axillary, of subsessile glomerules. Flowers 2.5-3.4 mm. long, subsessile or sessile, the bracts linear-subulate, ca. 3.5-5 mm. long, hispidulous and long-ciliolate; calyx campanulate, ca. 1.5-2 mm. long and 2 mm. broad, the lobes from a large base acuminate, ca. 0.5-0.8 mm. long and 1 mm. wide at the base, sparsely appressed-hispidulous and with simple hairs outside, glabrous inside, persistent; petals obovate or oblong-obovate, shortly unguiculate and slightly adnate to the base of the staminal tube, rounded at the apex, ca. 2.5-3.4 mm. long and 0.8-1.8 mm. wide, pink; staminal tube ca. 1-1.2 mm. long, glabrous, the filaments ca. 0.5 mm. long, the anthers ca. 0.5 mm. long; ovary sessile, subglobose, ca. 0.8 mm. long and 0.6-0.7 mm. in diam., sericeous, the styles free and ca. 1-1.4 mm. long, the stigmas very minutely tuberculate. Capsule surrounded by the persistent calyx, subglobose to depressed-globose, ca. 1.8-2.5 mm. long and 1.8-3 mm. in diam., hispidulous, each coccus ca. 1.5 mm. thick, splitting completely into 2 valves; seed ca. 1.4-1.8 mm. long and 0.8-1.3 mm. thick, the testa dorsally rugulose.

It is a tropical plant. It often grows as a weed in rice fields and is widespread across tropical Africa. It grows in woodland, wet grass savannah and palm groves. It can be along the edges of lakes.