Dicotyledon

Nyctaginaceae -- The Four-o'clock Family

Boerhavia

General Information
	Distribution	A pantropical and subtropical genus of about 50 species, usually of open, often arid or saline habitats.
	Habit	Erect to prostrate herbs, rarely somewhat scandent, often with an enlarged taproot or root crown, nodes prominent; branching opposite or alternate by suppression of 1 branch at a node.
	Leaves	Leaves opposite, petiolate, sometimes gradually reduced distally; margin entire or slightly sinuate, sometimes crispate.
	Flowers	Inflorescences an axillary, pedunculate cyme, these sometimes numerous distally, becoming smaller, more numerous, and appearing to form a paniculate inflorescence, but with a definite central, somewhat zigzag axis, or in panicles well differentiated from the leafy part of stem, often with a few leafy bracts and reduced scaly bracts at articulations, branching of panicle alternate, becoming irregular and often glomerulate distally, involucre absent. Flowers usually small, perianth strongly constricted near middle, basal portion usually prominently 3‒5(‒10)-nerved, becoming ribbed, often glandular, limb caducous, campanulate, funnelform, or cylindrical, usually lobed, lobes often emarginate; stamens usually 2‒5, filaments often contorted, anthers suborbicular, exserted; ovary superior, sessile, style filiform, unbranched, stigma capitate or somewhat disk-shaped, exserted.
	Fruit	Fruit an anthocarp, ellipsoid, clavate, or obconic, prominently ribbed to even somewhat alate, stipitate glands often present and very sticky, the whole readily disarticulating at or near maturity, leaving a conspicuous disklike or concave receptacle, 1-seeded.
	Notes	Named by Linnaeus in honor of his friend Hermann Boerhaave (1668‒1738), professor of botany at the University of Leiden.
	Contributor	Nancy Khan