麦花草 mai hua cao

Herpestis floribunda R. Brown, Prodr. 442. 1810; Mella floribunda (R. Brown) Pennell.

Annuals. Roots fibrous. Stems erect, 15-40 cm, sometimes apically branched, basally glabrous, apically sparsely scabrous. Leaves sessile, linear to linear-elliptic, 1-5 cm, glabrous, margin entire or few serrate. Flowers axillary or sometimes in terminal racemes. Pedicel ca. 2 mm. Bracteoles 2, filiform, below calyx. Sepals scabrous, ciliate, abaxially yellow glandular punctate; upper sepal orbicular, ca. 6 mm; lower 2 sepals ovate; lateral 2 sepals ovate to lanceolate. Corolla white, as long as calyx. Stamens didynamous. Stigma 2-lobed. Capsule ovoid, enveloped in inflated calyx. Seeds black, ellipsoid-conical, ca. 0.3 mm; seed coat reticulate. Fl. Aug-Nov.

Paddy fields, wet places; low elevations. Guangxi, Fujian (Fuqing Xian), Hainan [India, Indonesia, Laos, W Malaysia, Philippines, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Vietnam; Australia].