Family: Nyctaginaceae
Author: L.
Bibliography: Sp. Pl.: 3 (1753)
Year: 1753
Status: accepted
Rank: species
Genus: Boerhavia
Vegetable: Unknown
Observations: Tropics & Subtropics
Description
Red spiderling, known scientifically as Boerhavia diffusa, is a herbaceous plant that thrives in the warm climates of the tropics and subtropics. Belonging to the Nyctaginaceae family, Red spiderling is recognized for its resilience in various environmental conditions.
Boerhavia diffusa is a prostrate or ascending perennial herb that can often be found growing along roadsides, in agricultural fields, and disturbed lands. Its sprawling habit allows it to form mats on the ground, with slender, reddish stems that can extend several feet long. The leaves are simple, opposite, and can vary in shape, but typically they are ovate to broadly ovate with a distinct reddish tinge on the edges.
The small, inconspicuous flowers of Red spiderling are typically pink or white and grow in loose clusters at the ends of the stems. These flowers bloom throughout the year in suitable climates, contributing to the plant’s widespread colonization capabilities. Each flower has five sepals and is devoid of petals, an adaptation found in many members of the Nyctaginaceae family.
Despite its modest appearance, Boerhavia diffusa has significant ethnobotanical importance. It is widely used in traditional medicine in various cultures. The entire plant, including the roots, leaves, and stems, is employed in remedies purported to treat a host of ailments ranging from respiratory conditions to joint pain and inflammation. Contemporary research has begun to delve into these traditional uses, unveiling several bioactive compounds within the plant that could contribute to its medicinal properties.
In horticulture, Red spiderling is often regarded as a weed. Its propensity to spread rapidly and adaptability to different soil types makes it a common sight in both cultivated and non-cultivated areas. However, its invasive nature can be controlled through careful land management practices.
First described in the botanical work “Species Plantarum” in 1753 by Carl Linnaeus, Boerhavia diffusa continues to be a subject of study within the botanical and pharmaceutical fields. Its resilience and diverse applications underscore the importance of understanding and managing plant species that coexist with human agricultural and natural landscapes.
Common Names
Por: erva-tostão, pega-pinto
Spa: hierba de cabro
Eng: red spiderling, spreading hogweed, tarvine
En: Red spiderling, Spreading hogweed, Tarvine, Common Hog Weed, Common Hogweed, Hogweed, Pigweed, Wineflower
Ar: اتهاج (أتهاج), اليماسيب, حماد الجبل (حَمَّاد الجِبل), سكميت (سُكُميت), مداد (مِدَّاد), مديد (مُدِّيد), مطيط (مُطيط)
Zh: Huang xi xin
Fr: Ipecacuanha de Cayenne, Bécabar bâtard, Boerhaavie diffuse
Pt: Erva-tostão, Pega-pinto
Pt-br: Amarra-pinto, Agarra-pinto, Pega-pinto, Celidônia
Es: Hierba de cabro
Synonyms
- Commicarpus africanus ((Lour.) Dandy)
- Boerhavia paniculata f. multiglandulosa (Heimerl ex Parodi)
- Boerhavia paniculata (Rich.)
- Boerhavia laxa (Pers.)
- Boerhavia paniculata f. leiocarpa (Heimerl)
- Boerhavia decumbens (Vahl)
- Boerhavia diffusa f. subhirsuta (Heimerl)
- Boerhavia paniculata var. leiocarpa ((Heimerl) Heimerl)
- Boerhavia diffusa var. pubescens (Choisy)
- Boerhavia xerophila (Domin)
- Boerhavia diffusa var. leiocarpa ((Heimerl) C.D.Adams)
- Boerhavia paniculata f. setosa (Heimerl)
- Boerhavia diffusa var. vulgaris (Domin)
- Boerhavia paniculata f. esetosa (Heimerl)
- Boerhavia paniculata var. guaranitica (Heimerl)
- Boerhavia rottleri (Steud.)
- Boerhavia africana (Lour.)
- Boerhavia coccinea var. leiocarpa ((Heimerl) Standl.)
- Axia cochinchinensis (Lour.)
- Boerhavia adscendens (Willd.)
- Boerhavia caespitosa (Ridl.)
- Boerhavia friesii (Heimerl)
- Boerhavia rugosa (Rottler ex Wall.)
- Boerhavia repens var. diffusa ((L.) Hook.f.)
Distribution
- Afghanistan (native)
- Aldabra (native)
- Argentina Northeast (native)
- Argentina Northwest (native)
- Assam (native)
- Bahamas (native)
- Bangladesh (native)
- Belize (native)
- Benin (native)
- Bolivia (native)
- Botswana (native)
- Brazil Northeast (native)
- Brazil South (native)
- Brazil Southeast (native)
- Brazil West-Central (native)
- Burkina (native)
- Burundi (native)
- Cambodia (native)
- Cameroon (native)
- Cape Provinces (native)
- Cape Verde (native)
- Cayman Is. (native)
- Central African Repu (native)
- Chad (native)
- Chile Central (native)
- Chile North (native)
- China South-Central (native)
- China Southeast (native)
- Christmas I. (native)
- Cocos (Keeling) Is. (native)
- Colombia (native)
- Comoros (native)
- Congo (native)
- Costa Rica (native)
- Cuba (native)
- Desventurados Is. (native)
- Djibouti (native)
- Dominican Republic (native)
- Ecuador (native)
- Egypt (native)
- El Salvador (native)
- Eritrea (native)
- Ethiopia (native)
- Florida (native)
- French Guiana (native)
- Gabon (native)
- Gambia (native)
- Georgia (native)
- Ghana (native)
- Guatemala (native)
- Guinea (native)
- Guinea-Bissau (native)
- Gulf of Guinea Is. (native)
- Gulf States (native)
- Guyana (native)
- Hainan (native)
- Haiti (native)
- Honduras (native)
- India (native)
- Iran (native)
- Ivory Coast (native)
- Jamaica (native)
- Japan (native)
- Kazan-retto (native)
- Kenya (native)
- KwaZulu-Natal (native)
- Laccadive Is. (native)
- Laos (native)
- Lebanon-Syria (native)
- Leeward Is. (native)
- Lesser Sunda Is. (native)
- Liberia (native)
- Malawi (native)
- Malaya (native)
- Maldives (native)
- Mali (native)
- Maluku (native)
- Mauritania (native)
- Mexico Central (native)
- Mexico Gulf (native)
- Mexico Northeast (native)
- Mexico Southwest (native)
- Mozambique (native)
- Mozambique Channel I (native)
- Myanmar (native)
- Namibia (native)
- Nansei-shoto (native)
- Nepal (native)
- Netherlands Antilles (native)
- Niger (native)
- Nigeria (native)
- Northern Provinces (native)
- Ogasawara-shoto (native)
- Oman (native)
- Pakistan (native)
- Palestine (native)
- Paraguay (native)
- Peru (native)
- Philippines (native)
- Puerto Rico (native)
- Rwanda (native)
- Saudi Arabia (native)
- Senegal (native)
- Sierra Leone (native)
- Socotra (native)
- Solomon Is. (native)
- Somalia (native)
- South Carolina (native)
- South China Sea (native)
- Southwest Caribbean (native)
- Spain (native)
- Sri Lanka (native)
- Sudan (native)
- Sulawesi (native)
- Suriname (native)
- Swaziland (native)
- Tanzania (native)
- Thailand (native)
- Togo (native)
- Trinidad-Tobago (native)
- Turks-Caicos Is. (native)
- Uganda (native)
- Uruguay (native)
- Venezuela (native)
- Venezuelan Antilles (native)
- Vietnam (native)
- West Himalaya (native)
- Windward Is. (native)
- Yemen (native)
- Zambia (native)
- Zaïre (native)
- Zimbabwe (native)
- Alabama (introduced)
- Andaman Is. (introduced)
- Angola (introduced)
- Brazil North (introduced)
- Mauritius (introduced)
- Nicaragua (introduced)
- Nicobar Is. (introduced)
- Niue (introduced)
Additional Images
Leaf
Taken Dec 30, 2019 by Diego Alex (cc-by-sa)
Taken Jan 12, 2020 by Venkat Nalimela (cc-by-sa)
Taken Jun 5, 2022 by Miata (cc-by-sa)
Taken Jan 29, 2020 by Alba Jhon Andrés (cc-by-sa)
Taken May 7, 2022 by Ebenezer Owusu (cc-by-sa)
Taken Jul 17, 2021 by Muhammad Waqar (cc-by-sa)
Taken Jul 26, 2022 by Claudio Nicolò (cc-by-sa)
Taken Jan 3, 2020 by Vijigiri Dr Vijigiri Dinesh (cc-by-sa)
Taken Jul 26, 2022 by Claudio Nicolò (cc-by-sa)
Flower
Taken Dec 8, 2002 by Sohail Wagay (cc-by-sa)
Taken Dec 8, 2002 by Debrup Debrup Sarkar (cc-by-sa)
Taken Sep 10, 2020 by rahul kumar (cc-by-sa)
Taken Jul 26, 2022 by Claudio Nicolò (cc-by-sa)
Taken Jan 15, 2022 by Maarten Vanhove (cc-by-sa)
Taken Jun 21, 2016 by Hugo SANTACREU (cc-by-sa)
© copyright of the Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.
© copyright of the Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.
© copyright of the Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.
Bark
Taken Aug 9, 2021 by Diego Gouveia (cc-by-sa)
Taken Feb 20, 2020 by Gomes Alex (cc-by-sa)
Taken Jan 1, 1900 by EOL − Bishop L.E. (cc-by-nc-sa)
Taken Jan 15, 2022 by Maarten Vanhove (cc-by-sa)
Habit
Taken Feb 20, 2017 by Tela Botanica − Liliane ROUBAUDI (cc-by-sa)
Taken Nov 30, 2021 by Steve FAAEVA (cc-by-sa)
Taken Jun 8, 2016 by Hugo SANTACREU (cc-by-sa)
Taken Oct 13, 2021 by Manfred Jensen (cc-by-sa)
Taken Aug 28, 2017 by Tela Botanica − Sylvain PIRY (cc-by-sa)
Fruit
Taken Apr 27, 2012 by Tela Botanica − Sylvain PIRY (cc-by-sa)
Taken Aug 8, 2019 by Guillaume Picard (cc-by-sa)
Taken Jan 1, 1900 by EOL − Bart Wursten (cc-by-nc)
Taken May 14, 2015 by EOL − Morten Ross (cc-by-nc)
Taken Aug 28, 2017 by Tela Botanica − Sylvain PIRY (cc-by-sa)
Other
Taken Aug 1, 2021 by bridget marquez (cc-by-sa)
Taken Sep 24, 2019 by felice Tosetti (cc-by-sa)
Taken Feb 20, 2017 by Tela Botanica − Liliane ROUBAUDI (cc-by-sa)
Taken Feb 20, 2017 by Tela Botanica − Liliane ROUBAUDI (cc-by-sa)
Taken Feb 20, 2017 by Tela Botanica − Liliane ROUBAUDI (cc-by-sa)
Sources
- WFO (No URL)
- IPNI (No URL)
- POWO (http://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:326899-2)
- PlantNet (https://identify.plantnet.org/species/the-plant-list/Boerhavia africana Lour.)
- GBIF (https://www.gbif.org/species/3701009)
- GBIF (https://www.gbif.org/species/3086282)
- PlantNet (https://identify.plantnet.org/species/the-plant-list/Boerhavia diffusa L.)