Han Lian Cao is an erect or prostrate, branching annual or sometimes short-lived perennial plant, growing 10 - 80cm tall.A popular herbal medicine in eastern Asia, where the plant is extensively harvested from the wild. It is also sometimes cultivated in Gabon as a pot-herb. The plant is also sometimes cultivated for the compound wedelolactone, which is used in the pharmaceutical industry
It can be invasive in the US.