Characteristics
A small herb. It is hairy and spreads along the ground. It can grow each year from seeds or keep growing from year to year. The leaves are opposite and can be oval or rounded. They are 10 cm long. They narrow at the base to a short stalk. The leaves are hairy on both sides. The flowers are very small and papery. They can be yellow to purple or red. They are in alternate clusters 13 mm across. These are at the ends of the branches. The fruit are oval capsules 2.5 mm long. They have a very small brown seed.
| Life form |
perennial
|
| Growth form |
herb
|
| Growth support |
-
|
| Foliage retention |
-
|
| Sexuality |
hermaphrodite
|
| Pollination |
-
|
| Spread |
-
|
| Mature width (meter) |
-
|
| Mature height (meter) |
-
|
| Root system |
-
|
| Rooting depth (meter) |
-
|
| Root diameter (meter) |
-
|
| Flower color |
-
|
| Blooming months |
-
|
| Fruit color |
-
|
| Fruiting months |
-
|
| Nitrogen fixer |
-
|
| Photosynthetic pathway |
-
|
Environment
It is a tropical plant. It grows in dry bushland. In Tanzania it grow from sea level to 2,100 m above sea level.
| Light |
-
|
| Soil humidity |
-
|
| Soil texture |
-
|
| Soil acidity |
-
|
| Soil nutriment |
-
|
| Hardiness (USDA) |
-
|
Usage
The young leaves are chopped and washed and cooked. They are mixed with coconut milk or peanuts then eaten with maize or rice.
| Uses |
-
|
| Edible
|
leaves
|
| Therapeutic use
|
-
|
| Human toxicity |
-
|
| Animal toxicity |
-
|
Cultivation
Plants can be grown by seeds.
| Mode |
-
|
| Germination duration (days) |
-
|
| Germination temperacture (C°) |
-
|
| Germination luminosity |
-
|
| Germination treatment |
-
|
| Minimum temperature (C°) |
-
|
| Optimum temperature (C°) |
-
|
| Size |
-
|
| Vigor |
-
|
| Productivity |
-
|
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