Boerhavia diffusa is a herbaceous perennial plant with vigorous, many-branched stems growing from a taproot; up to 2 metres long the stems can be erect or procumbent. The stems branch mainly from the base, they are prostrate when young, becoming ascending to erect when flowering.A very popular medicinal plant, especially in India, where it is widely used in Ayurveda. Medicines containing this plant are sold worldwide. The plant is gathered from the wild and is also sometimes used as food.
Invasive in Argentina, Paraguay, Chile, Trinidad and Tobago, Hawaii, Japan and Cambodia.