Indian porterweed (Stachytarpheta indica)

Indian porterweed (Stachytarpheta indica) is a species of plant in the Verbenaceae, shrub, upright, up to 100 cm high, cylindrical or square stems, green in color, trident branches and green or bluish in color, with white hair.

S. indica has oval or elongated oval-shaped leaves, up to 13 cm long, up to 8 cm wide, pinnate at the base, toothed margins and green in color. The main vein is in the middle, the top is bluish and the bottom is green. The minor veins are pinnate.

The inflorescences are in panicles up to 46 cm long and green in color. The flowers are fan-shaped, 4 parts and blue with white aisles.

This species grows in the lowlands, near mangrove ecosystems with dry mud, near coastal ecosystems with sandy soil, forests, agricultural land and roadsides with lots of sun or some shade.

Kingdom: Plantae
Phylum: Tracheophyta
Subphylum: Angiospermae
Class: Magnoliopsida
Order: Lamiales
Family: Verbenaceae
Tribe: Duranteae
Genus: Stachytarpheta
Species: Stachytarpheta indica

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