Heliotropium indicum

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Heliotropium indicum

Description

Annual herb 15-60 cm high. Leaves: petiole 1-9 cm long; blade ovate, (1.5—)2—10(—12) by 0.8-8(-9) cm, base horizontally truncate, long decurrent, apex acute, primary nerves 4-7 on each side, between them a dense network of nerves of higher order, upper side with bristles arising from white tubercles of mineralized cells and short hairs, lower side with dense, white tubercles of mineralized cells and bristly hairs along the nerves. Inflorescence spike-like, elongate, cymes 1 to several, 5-20 cm long, ebracteate. Stamens: anthers subsessile at about middle of tube. Fruit 2-3 mm long, deeply bifid, margins of lobes meeting far below middle of fruit or at very base only, apices divergent, fruit-halves two-celled, cells two- locular, outer partition with one seed, inner one larger, empty.

Distribution

Asia-Tropical: Borneo present; Jawa (Jawa present); Malaya (Peninsular Malaysia present, Singapore present); Maluku (Maluku present); New Guinea present; Philippines (Philippines present); Sulawesi (Sulawesi present); Sumatera (Sumatera present), Flores present, Lombok present, Sumba present, Sumbawa present, Timor present, tropical America, tropical regions of the world present
Probably a native of tropical America, now widespread in all the tropical regions of the world; Malesia: Sumatra, Malay Peninsula, Singapore, Borneo, Java, Philippines, Celebes, Lesser Sunda Islands (Lombok, Sumbawa, Sumba, Flores, Timor), Moluccas, New Guinea.

Citation

Ridl. 1923 – In: Fl. Malay Penins.: 441
Backer & Bakh.f. 1965 – In: Fl. Java: 462
C.B.Rob. 1909 – In: Philipp. J. Sc., Bot.: 695
Dayang Awa 1996 – In: Tree Fl. Sabah & Sarawak: 94
I.M.Johnston 1951 – In: J. Arnold Arbor. 32: 111