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Boerhavia diffusa

L. (1753)

This name is accepted

Kingdom: Viridiplantae Phylum: Magnoliophyta Class/Clade: Eudicot-CoreEudicot Order: Caryophyllales Family: Nyctaginaceae Genus: Boerhavia

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Description

Key Characters:

Growth Form: Herbs annual or perennial.

Stems: Stems sprawling to ascending, most parts glandular-pubescent, sometimes conspicuously so, occasionally apparently eglandular.

Roots:

Leaves: Leaves simple. Opposite. Blades very variable, lanceolate to suborbicular, to 1.8-6 × 1-5.5 cm. Apex rounded to acute. Base cuneate to shallowly cordate. Margins obscurely sinuate. Petioles well defined, to 3 cm. Stipules absent.

Flowers: Inflorescences mostly terminal and subterminal, upper leaves reduced to form ascending panicle, 2-8-flowered clusters. Pedicel to 1 mm. Flowers bisexual, small. Perianth constricted beyond the ovary, limb campanulate, apex 5-lobed, limb white, pink, or mauve, rarely purplish red, to 2(-2.5) mm. Stamens (1-)3(-4), 1.5-4.5 mm.

Fruit: Anthocarps fusiform; 3-3.5(-4) mm; obviously 5-ribbed; usually glandular hairy. Seeds with a curved embryo; cotyledons thin; broad; enclosing the thin endosperm.

Ploidy:

Habitat:

Elevation Range:

Historical Distribution

Images

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Uses and Culture

USES

Natural History

Statewide Status

Naturalized

Island Status

Mokupāpapa (Kure atoll) Naturalized
Kuaihelani (Midway Atoll) Naturalized
Kaua'i Naturalized
O'ahu Naturalized
Kapou(Lisianski Island) Naturalized
Molokai Naturalized
Lana'i Naturalized
Kaho'olawe Naturalized
Maui Naturalized
Hawai'i Naturalized

Dispersal Agents


Pollinators

Bibliography

Name Published In: Sp. Pl.: 3 (1753)

Other References

Wagner et al. 1990:978 (K, O, M, Ka, H [as B. coccinea]); Oppenheimer & Bartlett 2002:10 (L); Oppenheimer 2003:16 (Mo); Starr et al. 2003:29 (Ku); Starr & Starr 2018:4 (Mi); Spellenberg 2004:19/Faccenda, Arthur, et al. 2025:196 (Li, B. coccinea misapplied = B. diffusa); Naomi Worcester pers. comm/Starr 010523-1 BISH (Ku†, 2001)

Occurrences

SNo. Scientific Name Scientific Name Authorship Locality Habitat Basis of Record Recorded By Record Number Island Source Date
1 Boerhavia diffusa L. Milolii Beach, Na Pali Coast PRESERVED_SPECIMEN Vladimir J. Krajina 620128110 Kauai HAPI 1/28/1962
2 Boerhavia diffusa L. kau, kamilo PRESERVED_SPECIMEN meinecke, w.h. Hawaii BISH 12/12/1969
3 Boerhavia diffusa L. milolii beach, na pali coast growing near the sand with such grasses as Cynodon and Sporobolus with some localized patches of Heteropogon contortus. PRESERVED_SPECIMEN corn, c. clarke, g.; cuddihy, l.w.; yoshida, l. collector number: esp 444 Kauai BISH 7/19/1979
4 Boerhavia diffusa L. Oahu Island , kaena point sandy soil along seashore PRESERVED_SPECIMEN J. Fujiwara 4 UBC 11/26/1960
5 Boerhavia diffusa L. Milolii Beach, Na Pali Coast growing near the sand with such grasses as Cynodon and Sporobolus with some localized patches of Heteropogon contortus. PRESERVED_SPECIMEN Corn, C. Clarke, G.; Cuddihy, L.W.; Yoshida, L. Collector Number: ESP 444 Kauai BISH 7/19/1979
6 Boerhavia diffusa L. PRESERVED_SPECIMEN c. h. lamoureux 1877 Kure Atoll US 9/12/1961
7 Boerhavia diffusa L. Kauai: Sandw. Ins. PRESERVED_SPECIMEN Knudsen, V.S. s.n. AVH
8 Boerhavia diffusa L. north kona, kailua-kona. along alii drive PRESERVED_SPECIMEN davis, j. collector number: 513 Oahu BISH 6/13/1981
9 Boerhavia diffusa L. Kauai, Hawaii, United States sandy soil along seashore PRESERVED_SPECIMEN J. Fujiwara 4 Maui HAPI 11/26/1960
10 Boerhavia diffusa L. Milolii Beach, Na Pali Coast PRESERVED_SPECIMEN Vladimir J. Krajina 620128110 Kauai HAPI 1/28/1962
11 Boerhavia diffusa L. kau, kamilo PRESERVED_SPECIMEN meinecke, w.h. Hawaii BISH 12/12/1969
12 Boerhavia diffusa L. milolii beach, na pali coast growing near the sand with such grasses as Cynodon and Sporobolus with some localized patches of Heteropogon contortus. PRESERVED_SPECIMEN corn, c. clarke, g.; cuddihy, l.w.; yoshida, l. collector number: esp 444 Kauai BISH 7/19/1979
13 Boerhavia diffusa L. Oahu Island , kaena point sandy soil along seashore PRESERVED_SPECIMEN J. Fujiwara 4 UBC 11/26/1960
14 Boerhavia diffusa L. Milolii Beach, Na Pali Coast growing near the sand with such grasses as Cynodon and Sporobolus with some localized patches of Heteropogon contortus. PRESERVED_SPECIMEN Corn, C. Clarke, G.; Cuddihy, L.W.; Yoshida, L. Collector Number: ESP 444 Kauai BISH 7/19/1979
15 Boerhavia diffusa L. PRESERVED_SPECIMEN c. h. lamoureux 1877 Kure Atoll US 9/12/1961
16 Boerhavia diffusa L. Kauai: Sandw. Ins. PRESERVED_SPECIMEN Knudsen, V.S. s.n. AVH
17 Boerhavia diffusa L. north kona, kailua-kona. along alii drive PRESERVED_SPECIMEN davis, j. collector number: 513 Oahu BISH 6/13/1981
18 Boerhavia diffusa L. Kauai, Hawaii, United States sandy soil along seashore PRESERVED_SPECIMEN J. Fujiwara 4 Maui HAPI 11/26/1960
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