Scoparia dulcis L.

Perennial herbs or weak shrubs to 1.5 m tall, conspicuously glandular punctate (under a lens), the branches slender, angled by the concaulescent leaf bases, mostly glabrous, sometimes ciliate at the nodes. Leaves opposite, sometimes obovate, saliently dentate and to 4 cm long and 1.8 cm wide, mostly much narrower and smaller, the teeth often inconspicuous, apically obtuse, basally cuneate, sometimes with a distinct petiolar region, the midvein prominent with ca. 3 ascending lateral veins on each side, the venation often obscure above. Inflorescence of 1-several flowers from the leaf axils, often paired; pedicels filiform, mostly ca. 5 mm long. Flowers small, the calyx 4-parted nearly to the base, the lobes oblong, obtuse or rounded apically, mostly glabrous, sometimes ciliate, apically rounded, 3 nerved; corolla white, rotate, 4-lobed nearly to the base, the lobes 21/2 mm long, only slightly exceeding the calyx, ovate, glabrous above but densely bearded with long white hairs in the lower '/8 within; stamens 4, the filaments glabrous, slender, inserted on the corolla tube, 1 mm long; anthers yellow, 1 mm long, ellipsoidal, exserted; ovary ellipsoidal, the style 1.5 mm long, only slightly exceeding the anthers, the stigma punctiform, exserted. Capsule globose, 1.5-2.0 mm across, exceeding the calyx, 4-sulcate, yellowish brown, glabrous, dehiscing apically, sometimes beaked by remnants of the style; seeds numerous, ca. 0.5 mm long, somewhat prismatic, coarsely reticulate.

A tropical plant. It grows in rainforest and swamp forest. It suits humid locations. It grows in wetlands. In tropical Queensland it grows from sea level to 950 m altitude. It is best in full sun. In Yunnan.

The leaves are used to sweeten well water. They are also used for tea. The young shoots are eaten raw and also cooked as a vegetable. They are fried. The young leaves can be stored for 3-4 days.

It can be grown from seeds. The seeds are broadcast or scattered.