Murdannia nudiflora (L.) Brenan

Herbs annual. Roots fibrous, slender, less than 0.3 mm in diam., glabrous or tomentose. Rhizomes absent. Stems numerous, diffuse, creeping proximally, simple or branched, 10--50 cm, glabrous. Leaves nearly all cauline, sometimes 1 or 2 basal; leaf sheath mostly less than 10 mm, hirsute throughout, sometimes glabrous except for a hirsute line along mouth slit; leaf blade linear or lanceolate, 2.5--10 × 0.5--1 cm, glabrous or sparsely hispid on both surfaces, apex obtuse or acuminate. Cincinni several, in terminal panicles, or solitary, with several densely arranged flowers; peduncle slender, to 4 cm; proximal involucral bracts leaflike but smaller than leaves, distal ones less than 10 mm; bracts caducous; pedicels slender, straight, 3--5 mm. Sepals ovate-elliptic, ca. 3 mm. Petals purple, obovate-orbicular. Fertile stamens 2; filaments bearded proximally; staminodes 2--4; antherodes 3-sect. Capsule ovoid-globose, trigonous, 3--4 mm. Seeds 2 per valve, yellow-brown, deeply pitted, or shallowly pitted and radiate white verrucose. Fl. and fr. (Jun--)Aug--Sep(--Oct).

A tropical plant. It grows in damp places. In the lowlands it grows in light shade and in higher altitudes it grows in full sun. In Papua New Guinea it grows from sea level to 1,800 m altitude. It occurs throughout the tropics. It grows in waste places and in rice fallows. In Sichuan and Yunnan.

The tender leaves are cooked as a vegetable. They are also used in soups. The young plant is used as a flavouring. It is used as a vegetable with curry.

Plants can be grown from seed. They also grow easily and naturally from cuttings.