Description

Key Characters:

Growth Form: Mat–forming perennial herbs from a stout woody root.

Stems: Stems prostrate, sometimes rooting at the nodes, 0.5–3.5 dm long, many-branched.

Roots:

Leaves: Leaves simple. Alternate. Blades elliptic–ovate to elliptic, 1–4(–6.2) cm long, 0.6–2.5(–3.3) cm wide. Surfaces sparsely strigillose, with a conspicuous purple v–shaped band, occasionally also tinged red or purple. Margins glandular ciliate. Petioles 1–4 mm long, glandular villous, usually with an auricle that clasps the stem. Stipules present as an ocreae, reddish brown, tubular, to 6–10 mm long, glandular hirsute, apex glandular ciliate.

Flowers: Flowers in subglobose or capitate spikes, these 1 to several at the ends of the branches. Peduncles with purple glandular hairs. Flowers bisexual (perfect), actinomorphic. Tepals (4)5(6), usually petaloid, persistent, pink, 2–2.5 mm long. Stamens 3–9, but usually 5, exserted or included; anthers dithecal, opening by longitudinal slits. Ovary superior, (2)3(4)-carpellate, 1-celled; ovule 1; styles 2–3, distinct or connate basally, deciduous; stigmas capitate or rarely fimbriate, dry.

Fruit: Nuts dark reddish brown; trigonous; protruding up to ca. ½ its length from or completely enclosed by the persistent tepals; ca. 2 mm long; apex beaked; the surface somewhat striate; glossy.

Ploidy: 2n = 22; 40

Habitat: Wet forests; open lava fields; and along roadsides.

Elevation Range: 600–1,770 m.