Boerhavia erecta L.

 
  • Family : NYCTAGINACEAE
    (Four-O'clock Family)
  • Family (Hindi name) : BOOGANBEL FAMILY (बूगनबेल फैमिली)
  • Family (as per The APG System III) : Nyctaginaceae
  • Synonym(s) : Boerhavia punarnava Saha & K.H.Krishnam.
  • Species Name (as per The IPNI) : Boerhavia erecta L.
  • Habit : Herb
  • Habitat : Tropical dry deciduous forests, wasteland
  • Comments / notes : Common; found growing as a weed along roadsides and cultivated fields
  • Key identification features : An erect herb. Leaves ovate or ovate-lanceolate, glabrous. Flowers 3-6 together in lax panicles. Perianth pink; stamens 1 - 3. Anthocarp obconical, 5-ribbed.
  • Flower, Fruit : Throughout the year
  • Collector(s) Name : R.Raghavendra Rao
  • Collection Nos : R.R.Rao 97
  • Collection Locality : St.Philomena's College, Mysore
  • Distribution :
    • Andhra Pradesh : Chittoor district, Y.S.R. Kadapa district, Anantapur district
    • Karnataka : Mysuru district, Dakshina Kannada district, Udupi district
    • Kerala : All districts of Kerala
    • Gujarat : Somnath
    • Uttar Pradesh : Uttar Pradesh
  • Native : Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Aruba, Bahamas, Belize, Bolivia, Cayman Islands, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Florida, Galápagos, Georgia, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Jamaica, Leeward Is., Louisiana, Mexico, Mississip
  • World Distribution : Pantropical weed
  • Conservation Status : Not Evaluated (NE)
  • Literature :
    • Flora of Karnataka, Saldanha, 1984, Gopalakrishna bhat, 2014 - Flora of South Kanara
    • Franklin Benjamin & G.V.S.Murthy, 2013. Flora of Sri Venkateswara National Park, Andhra Pradesh, BSI
    • Sasidharan, N. 2011. Flowering plants of Kerala. DVD, V 2, KFRI.
  • Read more :
  • Permalink : http://indiaflora-ces.iisc.ac.in/plants.php?name=Boerhavia erecta
  • Citation : Sankara Rao, K., Deepak Kumar (2026). India Flora Online. http://indiaflora-ces.iisc.ac.in/plants.php?name=Boerhavia erecta. Downloaded on 30 January 2026.

Botanical Description

Herbarium Specimen(s)

Field Image(s)

Habitat

Distribution District wise

India Distribution

World Distribution

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