Boerhavia triquetra explained

Boerhavia triquetra, commonly known as creeping sticky stem, five-wing spiderling, slender spiderling, or spiderling, is an annual species of spiderling plant in the four o'clock family (Nyctaginaceae).

Description

This species of plant is an annual herb that is somewhat variable in appearance, but in general it is loosely clumping, raising erect stems up to half a metre in height. It has lance-shaped, wavy-margined leaves and bears a branching inflorescence of clustered or singular flowers, each pale pink flower only one or two millimetres across. The clustered fruits that appear afterwards are tiny club-shaped, ridged achenes less than 3 mm long. This is a hardy plant, growing in arid, rocky, or disturbed areas, and often showing up as a roadside weed.

Distribution and habitat

This species is a fairly widespread in the south-western United States and northern Mexico. It is native to California and Arizona, in habitats of the Mojave Desert and Sonoran Desert.

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