Boerhavia coccinea
Family: Nyctaginaceae
Plant Description: Low-lying perennial or annual with prostrate or reclining stems to 120 cm or longer, sometimes glandular. Stems sometimes reddish. Leaves 1.5-4 cm long, ovate or roundish, opposite. Reddish-purple flowers in radial clusters; calyxes red, corollas absent; perianth 1-2 mm long.
Field Identification:
Plant Trivia: Can become a garden pest.
Occurrence: Frequent on various soils in pastures, woods, disturbed areas, and along roadsides.
Bloom Period: April – December
Plant Use:
Key to the Genus Boerhavia:
- Perianth red-purple………………………………………………….2
Perianth of other color…………………………………………….3
2. Perianth 1-2 mm long…………………………...B. coccinea
Perianth 4-6 mm long…………………….B. mathesiana
3. Perianth lavender or whitish…………………….B. erecta
Perianth greenish yellow……………………...B. scandens
