Limnophila erecta (PROSEA)

Plant Resources of South-East Asia
Introduction

Protologue: in DC., Prodr. 10: 388 (1846).

Family: Scrophulariaceae

Synonyms

Burma (Myanmar), southern China, Vietnam, Peninsular Malaysia, Java, Kalimantan.

L. erecta closely resembles L. aromatica and has the same medicinal and culinary uses in South-East Asia.

An annual herb, 10-30 cm tall, stems erect or ascending, stout to slender, normally much branched, glabrous or densely hairy, reddish.
Leaves decussate, linear-elliptical to ovate, (5-)10-30 mm × 3-9 mm, margins crenate-dentate, glabrous, pinnately veined, sessile.
Flowers axillary and solitary or in axillary and terminal racemes, pedicel 2-4 mm long, stout, reflexed at maturity, bracteoles 2, minute, calyx 4-5 mm long, obscurely striate at maturity, corolla 6 mm long, white, glabrous outside, sparsely hairy inside, lobes broadly lanceolate, acuminate, posterior stamens 1 mm long, anterior stamens 2.5 mm long, all glabrous.
Capsule ovoid, 3.5-4 mm long, pale brown.

L. erecta grows in shallow ponds or marshy localities, from sea-level up to 1000 m altitude.

[135] Burkill, I.H., 1966. A dictionary of the economic products of the Malay Peninsula. Revised reprint. 2 volumes. Ministry of Agriculture and Co-operatives, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Vol. 1 (A—H) pp. 1—1240, Vol. 2 (I—Z) pp. 1241—2444.
[311] Flora of Thailand (various editors), 1970—. The Forest Herbarium, Royal Forest Department, Bangkok, Thailand.
[747] Ochse, J.J. & Bakhuizen van den Brink, R.C., 1980. Vegetables of the Dutch East Indies. 3rd English edition (translation of "Indische groenten", 1931). Asher & Co., Amsterdam, the Netherlands. 1016 pp.