Boerhavia crispa

Boerhavia crispa B.Heyne ex Hook.f., Fl. Brit. India 4: 709 (1885);
.
W. & S. India as per POWO;

Boerhavia repens : 6 posts by 1 author. Attachments (5)
I had gone through the Boerhavia page, nice compilation, i would like to add Boerhavia repens, I have collected from Udayagiri of Nellore district;
the plant branches are very long than B.diffusa; it is fleshy, viscid and sticky; the flowers are relatively larger than B.diffusa, stamens 4 only while in B.diffusa stamens are 5.

Thanks, …

But there is a lot of taxonomic confusion here.

Pl. see Hooghly : Boerhavia procumbens Banks ex Roxb. ?

Confusion is evident from:

1. Annonated checklist of the flowering plants of Nepal gives Boerhavia repens L. as a syn. of Boerhavia diffusa L.

2. Pl. see Flora of Pakistan for sketchy details (Boerhavia procumbens Banks ex Roxb. mentioned here is a synonym for Boerhavia repens subsp. repens as per per latest scrutiny in Catalogue of Life with no distribution shown in India or Pakistan. Further Boerhavia diandra L. mentioned here is a synonym for Boerhavia repens subsp. diandra (L.) Maire & Weiller with no distribution shown in India or Pakistan)

3. Flora of China says “Boerhavia coccinea, B. diffusa, and B. repens have been much confused. This is partly because of problems with typification: the type collection of B. repens, in particular, is very far from adequate, partly because the boundaries between these rather plastic weeds are not as clearly defined as one would like them to be. It is worth noting that as early as 1849, Choisy noted five different usages of B. diffusa. Published records from China need to be treated with caution. A record of the Indian species B. crispa Heyne ex J. D. Hooker from Taiwan seems to be based on a misidentification.”
As per latest scrutiny by Catalogue of Life, Boerhavia repens L. has no distribution in our area.

WCSP has still not taken up this family as per http://wcsp.science.kew.org/incfamilies.do

Thank you … I have identified it after reading all the literature cited by you, but the specimen is different from Boerhavia diffusa, that is sure

I think fruit is the key character. It is not very clear to me in your images.

Pl. decide based on that as per https://www.researchgate.net/publication/260360378_A_taxonomic_revision_of_Boerhavia_Nyctaginaceae_in_southern_Africa ?

Reply from another thread:
I had gone through the article; 2 points are not coinciding; 1.number of stamens (2-3 as per the article); 2 the plant is very sticky, boerhavia diffusa is not sticky; the pod shape is also not coinciding with B.diffusa; some species need further taxonomic revision

I guess this is Boerhavia diffusa L. only.

Boerhavia crispa F.Heyne ex Hook.f., Fl. Brit. India 4: 709 (1885)
It Looks like B.diffusa, but the stems stout, scaberulously pubescent; nodes swollen. Leaves in unequal pairs; lamina ovate-oblong,2-3 x 1.5-1.8cm, coriaceous, scabrid, margins crispy-undulate; petiole 0.5cm long; nerves prominent when dry. Flowers 3mm, sessile or subsessile, pink in laxly branched panicle with few capitate heads. Anthocarps glandular, obovoid or obconical with 5 ribs.
Distribution: Rare; in Velugonda hills. Endemic to Peninsular India.

You have earlier stated it to be Boerhavia repens and now Boerhavia crispa F.Heyne ex Hook.f.

Should I finally take it as Boerhavia crispa F.Heyne ex Hook.f.?

yes, you may take it as B.crispa not repens.

References:
POWO Flora of peninsular India India Flora Online
Boerhavia crispa heyne ex hook. F (Nyctaginaceae) -a new distributional record for Madhya Pradesh state, India 1 2 3- July 2022 The Journal of Indian Botanical Society 102(2):184-186- K. Chandramohan , D. Ravivarma and G. Ravi (Abstract Boerhavia crispa Heyne ex Hook.f. is reported for the first time from Madhya Pradesh State, India. Detailed description, photo plate and relevant notes are provided)

Updated on March 7, 2026

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