Zaleya pentandra (L.) C. Jeffrey
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Description
Zaleya pentandra is a spreading, prostrate to ascending, somewhat coarse succulent annual herb, often becoming slightly woody near the base. Stems are extensively branched, glabrous, and frequently reddish-green. Leaves are opposite, fleshy, obovate to elliptic, entire, and shortly petiolate. Flowers occur in dense axillary clusters and are small, sessile, with five greenish to pinkish-white perianth segments. Stamens are typically five, alternating with staminodes. The ovary is superior and develops into a small indehiscent fruit enclosing several black, smooth to finely roughened seeds.
Diagnostic Characters
Distribution
Native range: Africa, the Arabian Peninsula, Pakistan, and India.
Introduced range: Naturalized in many tropical and subtropical regions.
In Pakistan: Widely distributed in southern Pakistan, extending into saline coastal habitats. (Plants of the World Online).
Phenology
Ethnobotany & Uses
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Taxonomic Notes
The species was formerly placed in Trianthema as Trianthema pentandrum L., but modern taxonomic revisions based on morphological and molecular evidence recognize it as Zaleya pentandra. It is distinguished from species of Trianthema by its clustered flowers, typically five fertile stamens, and indehiscent fruits. (Plants of the World Online).