Boerhavia diffusaL.

red spiderling

WFO wfo-0000567916 Accepted WFO 2026-06 8 photographs CC0 / CC BY / CC BY-SA

Plate 1 figs. a–h · 8 separate observations

Boerhavia diffusa, photographed by Kevin Faccenda
fig. a Kevin Faccenda, CC BY 4.0 / 2022-06-04 / obs. 204324641

Every figure is a research-grade observation under CC0, CC BY or CC BY-SA, rehosted with the photographer’s name, the licence and the observation it came from. Photographs under a NonCommercial licence are excluded from this site and are never stored, which costs us a great many pictures and is not negotiable.

Native range 132 botanical countries

Regions where Boerhavia diffusa is native: Aldabra, Benin, Botswana, Burkina, Burundi, Cameroon, Cape Provinces, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Chad, Comoros, Congo, Djibouti, DR Congo, Egypt, Eritrea, Eswatini, Ethiopia, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Gulf of Guinea Is., Ivory Coast, Kenya, KwaZulu-Natal, Liberia, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Mozambique, Mozambique Channel Is., Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Northern Provinces, Rwanda, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Socotra, Somalia, Sudan-South Sudan, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Afghanistan, China South-Central, China Southeast, Gulf States, Hainan, Iran, Japan, Kazan-retto, Lebanon-Syria, Nansei-shoto, Ogasawara-shoto, Oman, Palestine, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Assam, Bangladesh, Cambodia, Christmas I., Cocos (Keeling) Is., India, Laccadive Is., Laos, Lesser Sunda Is., Malaya, Maldives, Maluku, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, Philippines, Solomon Is., South China Sea, Sri Lanka, Sulawesi, Thailand, Vietnam, West Himalaya, Spain, Florida, Georgia, Mexico Central, Mexico Gulf, Mexico Northeast, Mexico Southwest, South Carolina, Argentina Northeast, Argentina Northwest, Bahamas, Belize, Bolivia, Brazil Northeast, Brazil South, Brazil Southeast, Brazil West-Central, Cayman Is., Chile Central, Chile North, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Desventurados Is., Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, French Guiana, Guatemala, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Jamaica, Leeward Is., Netherlands Antilles, Paraguay, Peru, Puerto Rico, Southwest Caribbean, Suriname, Trinidad-Tobago, Turks-Caicos Is., Uruguay, Venezuela, Venezuelan Antilles, Windward Is. BeninBotswanaBurkinaBurundiCameroonCape ProvincesCentral African RepublicChadCongoDjiboutiDR CongoEgyptEritreaEswatiniEthiopiaGabonGambiaGhanaGuineaGuinea-BissauGulf of Guinea Is.Ivory CoastKenyaKwaZulu-NatalLiberiaMalawiMaliMauritaniaMozambiqueNamibiaNigerNigeriaNorthern ProvincesRwandaSenegalSierra LeoneSomaliaSudan-South SudanTanzaniaTogoUgandaZambiaZimbabweAfghanistanChina South-CentralChina SoutheastGulf StatesHainanIranJapanLebanon-SyriaOmanPalestineSaudi ArabiaYemenAssamBangladeshCambodiaIndiaLaosLesser Sunda Is.MalayaMalukuMyanmarNepalPakistanPhilippinesSolomon Is.Sri LankaSulawesiThailandVietnamWest HimalayaSpainFloridaGeorgiaMexico CentralMexico GulfMexico NortheastMexico SouthwestSouth CarolinaArgentina NortheastArgentina NorthwestBelizeBoliviaBrazil NortheastBrazil SouthBrazil SoutheastBrazil West-CentralChile CentralChile NorthColombiaCosta RicaCubaDominican RepublicEcuadorEl SalvadorFrench GuianaGuatemalaGuyanaHaitiHondurasJamaicaParaguayPeruPuerto RicoSouthwest CaribbeanSurinameTrinidad-TobagoUruguayVenezuela AldabraCape VerdeComorosMozambique Channel Is.Nansei-shotoChristmas I.Laccadive Is.MaldivesSouth China SeaBahamasCayman Is.Leeward Is.Netherlands AntillesTurks-Caicos Is.Venezuelan AntillesWindward Is.
Native distribution of Boerhavia diffusa, after Kew’s World Checklist of Vascular Plants. Introduced, extinct and doubtful records are excluded, so this is where the plant is from, not everywhere it now grows. Regions too small to draw at this scale are marked with a dot.
RegionTDWG codeContinent
Aldabra ALD AFRICA
Benin BEN
Botswana BOT
Burkina BKN
Burundi BUR
Cameroon CMN
Cape Provinces CPP
Cape Verde CVI
Central African Republic CAF
Chad CHA
Comoros COM
Congo CON
Djibouti DJI
DR Congo ZAI
Egypt EGY
Eritrea ERI
Eswatini SWZ
Ethiopia ETH
Gabon GAB
Gambia GAM
Ghana GHA
Guinea GUI
Guinea-Bissau GNB
Gulf of Guinea Is. GGI
Ivory Coast IVO
Kenya KEN
KwaZulu-Natal NAT
Liberia LBR
Malawi MLW
Mali MLI
Mauritania MTN
Mozambique MOZ
Mozambique Channel Is. MCI
Namibia NAM
Niger NGR
Nigeria NGA
Northern Provinces TVL
Rwanda RWA
Senegal SEN
Sierra Leone SIE
Socotra SOC
Somalia SOM
Sudan-South Sudan SUD
Tanzania TAN
Togo TOG
Uganda UGA
Zambia ZAM
Zimbabwe ZIM
Argentina Northeast AGE SOUTHERN AMERICA
Argentina Northwest AGW
Bahamas BAH
Belize BLZ
Bolivia BOL
Brazil Northeast BZE
Brazil South BZS
Brazil Southeast BZL
Brazil West-Central BZC
Cayman Is. CAY
Chile Central CLC
Chile North CLN
Colombia CLM
Costa Rica COS
Cuba CUB
Desventurados Is. DSV
Dominican Republic DOM
Ecuador ECU
El Salvador ELS
French Guiana FRG
Guatemala GUA
Guyana GUY
Haiti HAI
Honduras HON
Jamaica JAM
Leeward Is. LEE
Netherlands Antilles NLA
Paraguay PAR
Peru PER
Puerto Rico PUE
Southwest Caribbean SWC
Suriname SUR
Trinidad-Tobago TRT
Turks-Caicos Is. TCI
Uruguay URU
Venezuela VEN
Venezuelan Antilles VNA
Windward Is. WIN
Assam ASS ASIA-TROPICAL
Bangladesh BAN
Cambodia CBD
Christmas I. XMS
Cocos (Keeling) Is. CKI
India IND
Laccadive Is. LDV
Laos LAO
Lesser Sunda Is. LSI
Malaya MLY
Maldives MDV
Maluku MOL
Myanmar MYA
Nepal NEP
Pakistan PAK
Philippines PHI
Solomon Is. SOL
South China Sea SCS
Sri Lanka SRL
Sulawesi SUL
Thailand THA
Vietnam VIE
West Himalaya WHM
Afghanistan AFG ASIA-TEMPERATE
China South-Central CHC
China Southeast CHS
Gulf States GST
Hainan CHH
Iran IRN
Japan JAP
Kazan-retto KZN
Lebanon-Syria LBS
Nansei-shoto NNS
Ogasawara-shoto OGA
Oman OMA
Palestine PAL
Saudi Arabia SAU
Yemen YEM
Florida FLA NORTHERN AMERICA
Georgia GEO
Mexico Central MXC
Mexico Gulf MXG
Mexico Northeast MXE
Mexico Southwest MXS
South Carolina SCA
Spain SPA EUROPE

Not drawn on the map: Socotra, Kazan-retto, Ogasawara-shoto, Cocos (Keeling) Is., Desventurados Is.. We hold no public-domain boundary for these regions, so they are listed rather than guessed at.

Region boundaries approximated from Natural Earth (public domain) and mapped to TDWG World Geographical Scheme for Recording Plant Distributions (WGSRPD) level-3 botanical countries (Brummitt 2001). Indicative, not the official WGSRPD geometry.

Flowering 213 in flower of 365 examined

Proportion of examined Boerhavia diffusa in flower, by month
Month In flower Examined Share 95% interval
Jan 18 33 55% 38% to 70%
Feb 19 30 63% 46% to 78%
Mar 12 24 50% 31% to 69%
Apr 22 54 41% 29% to 54%
May 23 32 72% 55% to 84%
Jun 16 31 52% 35% to 68%
Jul 11 20 55% 34% to 74%
Aug 15 19 79% 57% to 91%
Sep 20 28 71% 53% to 85%
Oct 25 31 81% 64% to 91%
Nov 22 35 63% 46% to 77%
Dec 10 28 36% 21% to 54%

Peak flowering in Oct. Each bar is the share of Boerhavia diffusa observations in which someone actually recorded the reproductive state and found the plant in flower, not the raw number of flowering records. That distinction matters: people observe plants far more in spring than in winter, so a bare count of flowering records partly measures when people go outside. Dividing by the number examined removes that. 213 of 365 examined observations were in flower, every one of them research grade. The whisker on each bar is a 95% Wilson interval. This is still a global aggregate and not a forecast for your garden: the same species flowers on different dates in different hemispheres. Where a species has fewer than 30 flowering records we do not draw this chart at all. Computed from 10.15468/dl.cgje2x.

Also published as 21 synonyms

A synonym is not an error. It is a record of botanists disagreeing, in print, about where this plant belongs. Each of these was somebody’s considered answer.

  • Axia cochinchinensis Lour.
  • Boerhavia adscendens Willd.
  • Boerhavia caespitosa Ridl.
  • Boerhavia ciliatobracteata Heimerl
  • Boerhavia coccinea var. leiocarpa (Heimerl) Standl.
  • Boerhavia coccinea var. paniculata (Kuntze) Moscoso
  • Boerhavia diffusa var. diffusa
  • Boerhavia diffusa var. leiocarpa (Heimerl) C.D.Adams
  • Boerhavia diffusa var. mutabilis (R.Br.) Heimerl
  • Boerhavia diffusa var. paniculata Kuntze
  • Boerhavia diffusa var. pubescens Choisy
  • Boerhavia friesii Heimerl
  • Boerhavia paniculata Rich.
  • Boerhavia paniculata f. esetosa Heimerl
  • Boerhavia paniculata f. leiocarpa Heimerl
  • Boerhavia paniculata f. multiglandulosa Heimerl ex Parodi
  • Boerhavia paniculata var. guaranitica Heimerl
  • Boerhavia paniculata var. leiocarpa (Heimerl) Heimerl
  • Boerhavia paniculata var. subacuta Choisy
  • Boerhavia repens var. diffusa (L.) Hook.f.
  • Boerhavia xerophila Domin

Sourcesevery claim on this page

  1. World Flora Online Plant List. accepted name, authority, classification. CC0. Retrieved 2026-07-12.
  2. iNaturalist. photographs and flowering annotations, CC0 / CC BY / CC BY-SA only. per photograph. Retrieved 2026-06-27.
  3. Wikidata. common name (P1843), joined on the World Flora Online identifier (P7715). CC0. Retrieved 2026-07-13.
  4. Kew, World Checklist of Vascular Plants (WCVP v16). native distribution by TDWG level-3 botanical country, and life form. CC BY 3.0. Retrieved 2026-06-04.

We publish what we can source and we say so when we cannot. This page has no care advice and no toxicity claim, because we do not yet have those from a source we can cite.