Zaleya pentandra Illustration Credit: M.Y. Saleem

Prostrate annual or perennial herbs. Leaves opposite, exstipulate. Flowers bisexual, in axillary globose clusters, sub-sessile, regular. Calyx tube 5-lobed; lobes with membranous margin, mucronate. Stamens 5-15, free. Ovary bilocular; styles 2, free. Capsule 4-seeded, dehiscence operculate, the valves separating longitudinally.

A genus of about 6 species; tropical Africa, Asia and Australia. Represented here by 1 species.

Lower Taxon

• Zaleya pentandra (Linn.) Jeffrey

Related Synonym(s):

• Trianthema govindia Buch-Ham. ex G. Don = Zaleya pentandra (Linn.) Jeffrey
• Trianthema pentandra Linn. = Zaleya pentandra (Linn.) Jeffrey
• Zaleya govindia (G. Don) Nair = Zaleya pentandra (Linn.) Jeffrey